In July, Norton Sound water surface temperatures reached 68.2 DEG F on 7/10 and 69.3 DEG F on 7/11, which is about 17 degrees above average. The water was warm enough to comfortably swim in.

Leech found on duck near Selawik.

Unusually high abundance of rusty tussock moth caterpillars in the Nome area.

"Our temperatures reached 83 degrees, and seem to be getting hotter! We think that maybe the warm water has something to do with the humpy die-off?"

Village wildlife observers worry that the unusual warmth of oceans off Alaska is causing problems throughout the ecosystem.

Subsistence families along the Kuskokwim River are cutting open fish to find white balls or white streaks deforming the meat.

The Bering Sea island is breeding habitat for millions of seabirds, including rare migratory species. A “strike team” had been searching for the rogue rat for 10 months.

Murres along Cape Thompson are migrating earlier, allowing coastal community residents to collect eggs a few weeks earlier than normal.

Around 60 ice seals have been reported dead across northern and western Alaska this month. The cause of the strandings and deaths is not known.

Elodea was discovered in Alexander Lake in 2014 by researchers checking minnow traps. At the time, it covered 20 percent of the lake but now has spread to 90 percent.

"Its face was down in the mud and it was laboring to breathe. Its body condition was wasted and we could see its ribs."

This walrus was found by a local fisherman and reported by LEO Network to the US Fish and Wildlife Walrus Hotline. The carcass is thought to be too old for necropsy or sample collection.

Tumor found in King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

A group that monitors shellfish toxin levels is warning Juneau residents not to consume shellfish from locations in the Auke Bay area.

Major sea lice epidemics have erupted on Atlantic salmon fish farms on Vancouver Island’s west coast over the last three months, according to industry, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and independent reports.

Widespread mortality events that include more than one fish species are indicators that something is wrong in the environment.

Because of the increased travel distance, only families with larger boats were able to participate in the hunt and bring back enough to make the trip cost effective. With a heavier load in the boat, one family ran out of gas trying to get home and had to be rescued.

The appearance of walrus on the ice off Nome added some excitement to the onset of spring.