The cause of death is almost certainly acute Aspergillosis, a respiratory tract infection caused by a fungus commonly found in soil, dead leaves, moldy grain, compost piles, or in other decaying vegetation. Wildlife managers say the die-off seems to have stopped, likely due to the fungus source no longer being available.

Given the rarity of similar incidents, the whales have attracted a large crowd since Christmas Eve. On Boxing Day, the Coastguard confirmed that patrols have been taking place to ensure the safety of the public in the days since the animals were stranded.

A dead humpback whale was found washed ashore on Christmas Day at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park in Long Beach Island. The whale, believed to be as large as 20 feet, may have been hit by a boat or fallen ill before washing up along the Jersey Shore coast in Ocean County.

Up to 10 sperm whales have been stranded between Withernsea and Tunstall on the coast. Members of the coastguard and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) are on the beach, between Tunstall and Withernsea, near Hull.

Verified reports of deaths and circumstantial evidence animals trapped in ‘bycatch’

Larger-than-normal kokanee in Lake Coeur d’Alene are sending migratory eagles wheeling on to better hunting grounds this winter.

Russian authorities are investigating the mysterious death of nearly 300 endangered seals that had been discovered washed up on the shores of the Caspian Sea. 272 dead Caspian seals have been found at a number of locations in the southern region of Dagestan.

A family out seal hunting in Nunavut came across a very rare sight when they happened upon a full-size, beached, frozen bowhead whale, along with plenty of polar bear tracks nearby. "That was a very, very amazing sight. Its my first time to see a bowhead," said Panigayak.

Nearly 100 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand's Department of Conservation said Wednesday.

Marine biologists are investigating the deaths of at least six whales found washed up on Frances western shores with no apparent sign of having been hit by a ship or caught in a trawler's net.

Southeast’s total salmon harvest was 19 million fewer fish than last year. There was a drop in harvest for every species except chinook, which increased by a few thousand fish.

The whale has likely been dead for several days.

The beaches of Namibia have been filled with thousands of seal fetuses. The problem was first detected in August, when observers began to see an unusual number of abortions and prematurely killed pups on the beaches of Pelican Point. Current estimates indicate about 5,000 have died in Pelican Point alone, although the precise reasons are still unknown.

Finding the deep-diving species so far inland was incredible. Rescuers made a sterling effort to save the 21ft-long animal found in a tributary of the River Clyde near Glasgow Airport. Two died after stranding on shores of the Firth of Clyde and another in the Western Isles.

The animal was part of a pod which rescuers hoped would swim to deeper water before a major military exercise.

Scientists found plastic debris in the digestive tract of a southern right whale stranded in Argentina, according to a study from the Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program, co-led by the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine; and Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas in Argentina.

A mass die off of fish and invertebrates has been reported in the Sea of Okhotsk, west of Kamchatka. Dozens of surfers reported symptoms including including poor eyesight, fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes and head and throat aches.

This year the Eagle station's fall chum estimate is 23,828 fish. This is far below the escapement goal of 70,000 to 104,000 fish.

Khalaktyrsky Beach near Petropavlovsk is littered with hundreds of dead sea animals, from deep-sea Giant Pacific octopuses, to seals, sea urchins, stars, crabs and fish. Surfers were the first to raise alarm after problems with eyesight, fevers and throat aches.

The Yukon First Nations Education Directorate gave away 30,000 pounds of free fish as part of its nutritional program in Whitehorse this week. People were particularly happy to receive the donation because salmon are well below the historical average this year.