LEO Network

About the LEO Network
The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
Continue

Observations

Unusual cysts in grayling
"Grayling guts with unknown pearl like cyst or tapeworm. Never seen this before in our grayling."
Arctic Village, Alaska, United States
Noah Tsigonis, Crystal Frank Welker, Jayde Ferguson, Sarah Yoder

Melting Starfish
Starfish wasting observed in Kassan for the first time in several years.
Kasaan, Alaska, United States
Krissy Dunker, Gemini , Donna Aderhold, Kris Holderied, Melissa Miner, Carol Fletcher, Sarah Yoder

Most of the red salmon were carrying worms
From the images shared, these appear to be *Philemona*, a freshwater parasite. *Philomena* is a food quality concern but is *Not* considered a human health concern. With proper preparation, the salmon is safe to eat.
Kenai, Alaska, United States
Cindy Lawrence, Lars Flora, Mike Brook, Sarah Yoder, Jayde Ferguson

King crab boom in northern Norway has become multi-million dollar industry
This crab from the Pacific Ocean was once introduced into the Barents waters of the Soviet Union in Arctic Russia. Since then the invasive species has spread to Norway’s Barents Sea and a multi-million dollar industry has sprung up around it. In 2023 Norway exported 2,500 tons of king crab worth 1,2 billion kroner (€100 million).
Barrents, Norway
The Independent Barents Observer

Mystery invertebrate in a red crab
A crab was caught on the ice just offshore in Nome. It had a small invertebrate in the gills of the crab.
Nome, Alaska, United States

Sea Lice Outbreak Claims At Least 1 Million Salmon in Tálknafjörður
An unprecedented outbreak of sea lice in Tálknafjörður has led to the loss, or the need to dispose of, at least one million salmon. “Nobody has seen anything like this before. There is a Norwegian veterinarian who has been working in Iceland because of this and he has never seen anything like this in his 30-year career,” Karl Steinar observed.
Talknafjordur, Westfjords, Iceland
Iceland Review

Alaska cancels snow crab harvest again due to population concerns
The snow crab harvest in Alaska has been canceled for the second year in a row due to concerns about population sustainability, but red king crab and Tanner crab will be available for commercial fishermen this season. Last year was the first time in history the U.S. snow crab fishery was closed. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said the harvests were closed over concerns about long-term conservation and the sustainability of crab stocks.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Crab pots 'absolutely stuffed' as Bering Sea Dungeness fishery breaks records
While many Bering Sea crab populations find themselves in freefall, Dungeness crab is breaking records in regions that used to hardly see them.
Nome, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

High levels of PSP in Blue Mussels
Blue mussels collected on 6/15/2023, were way above the FDA limit for safe consumption of 80 μg/100g.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

Dangerous PSP toxin levels found in some Southwest Alaska clams, mussels
High levels of PSP toxins have been found in razor clams in Chignik Lagoon and blue mussels in Sand Point, Alaska, making them unsafe to eat and potentially causing paralytic shellfish poisoning, with no known cure.
Chignik, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Floating Helmet
"My son found this helmet floating here in Prince William Sound."
Tatitlek, Alaska, United States

Invasive Pacific oyster spreading rapidly in Norway
The invasive Pacific oyster is spreading rapidly in Oslofjord, causing injuries to bathers and threatening local ecosystems, with Oslo municipality now offering a reward for their removal.
Oslofjord, Oslo Viken, Norway
TV 2

Rare pearl mussels discovered in Highland and Trossachs lochs
Scientists said the critically-endangered species had previously only been found in rivers and know pearl mussels have been discovered in the Scotland Lochs.
Scotland
BBC News

Hawke’s Bay red sea’s final act was to kill sea creatures
Test results show the bloom was almost certainly to blame for mass deaths of kina as well as crayfish, starfish and sea cucumber which washed ashore at Hardinge Rd, including Sandy Beach, and on a small part of Westshore Beach eight days ago.
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
NZ Herald

Invertebrates recover at Miller Creek
Just over a year ago, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game applied the pesticide rotenone to two lakes and a stream in the remote Miller Creek drainage on the northern Kenai Peninsula to eradicate the last known population of invasive northern pike on the Kenai Peninsula.
Soldotna, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

NOAA trawl survey: Cold pool returns in the Bering Sea
The Bering Sea’s cold pool, a critical part of the seafloor ecosystem, had shrunk to a worrying degree in recent years, but it is continuing to slowly return, according to the latest results of NOAA’s bottom trawl survey. Saffron cod, also called tomcod, seems to be bouncing back after a few bad years, and Arctic cod and blue king crab numbers were also better.
Bering Sea
The Nome Nugget

Saxitoxin detected in regional clam
By Diana Haecker
Savoonga, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Lots of dead krill washed up on Sarichef Island
Die-offs of krill are in some cases associated with hypoxia (low oxygen) excess sediment suspended in the water column and changes in water temperature. There were recent reports of high levels of Alexandrium in water samples in the areas, and Norton Sound Health Corporation is performing some testing of krill samples (see below). There was also an unprecedented storm event only a week ago, unusual for the storm surge and early season.
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States
Gay Sheffield, Brandon Ahmasuk, Dean Stockwell, Racheal Lee, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Anahma Shannon, Sadie McGill, Emma Pate

Aquaculture: Oyster and mussel growers on Prince Edward Island calculating losses from Fiona
James Power doesn’t have a final tally yet on how much post tropical storm Fiona cost Raspberry Point Oysters Ltd., but the damages are likely to be in the ...
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Storm bounty in clams
Storms can bring a bounty to the beach - driftwood sometimes or in this case, clams! But be careful out there. There are new concerns about emerging levels of harmful algae in Western Alaska waters, which could impact shellfish and human health.
Mertarvik, Alaska, United States
Louisa Castrodale, Chris Dankmeyer, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Gay Sheffield, Racheal Lee, Bob Gerlach, Brian Lefferts, Emma Pate, Joanna Barton, Julie Matweyou, Thomas Farrugia, Karen Pletnikoff

Unidentified juvenile crab
Juvenille crab was found at a salmon set-net site. Is this a Puget Sound species that has now been found on the Alaska Peninsula?
Orzinski Bay
Tammy Davis, Karen Pletnikoff, Melissa Good, Asia Beder

Norton Sound crab fishery bounces back with record year following fishing hiatus
After no commercial crabbing since 2019, this summer’s Norton Sound Red King Crab fishery had a record year of $3.7 million dollars in ex-vessel value.
Nome, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Evidence of invasive crab that could wreak havoc on Alaska fisheries found near Metlakatla
The European Green Crab are a threat to ecosystems and commercial fisheries. They uproot eelgrass beds in search of food, which serve as habitat for herring and salmon.
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

B.C.’s sea life is bouncing back, slowly, after the 2021 heat dome
One UBC scientist says his early estimation that a billion creatures died from the 2021 heat dome was too low. Today, life is returning to areas scorched by last year’s unprecedented heat wave. The die off was patchy and the plants and animals in the intertidal zone that survived the heat wave “are the parents to the next generation,” Harley said.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

Sudden lake draining event
"The event occurred on June 29th, on our native allotment near Kotzebue (Illivak). We left home in the morning and when we came back around 8:00 PM in the evening the whole lake had drained! It looked like it was blown up with dynamite."
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
Ken Tape, Richard L Thoman Jr, Gemini , Guido Grosse, Susan Tessier, Benjamin Jones, Anna Liljedahl , Vladimir Romanovsky, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Joanna Barton, Ingmar Nitze, Bruce Forbes

Volunteers confront an invasion of black slugs near Whittier
Volunteers at the Whittier Slug-Out learned about Alaska’s invasive species and helped mitigate European black slugs near a popular cove on Prince William Sound.
Whittier, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Decaying Sea Cucumbers
I have photos of four different sea cucumbers decaying, but my friend claims to have observed around 10 dead sea cucumbers.
Saxman, Alaska, United States
Jesse Endert, Gary Freitag, Mandy Lindeberg

Rarely found snail at Saltstraumen in Bodø, not seen since the 19th century
When he checked closer, he found that the snail he found was an Arctic shrub, or *Dendronotus robustus*. All of the previous sightings have been made on Svalbard, so this may be the first confirmed find in mainland Norway.
Bodø, Nordland, Norway
NRK

Photographer finds massive octopus dead on Vancouver Island shore
A B.C. photographer and her dog found a Giant Pacific octopus washed up on the shore of a Vancouver Island beach.
Cherry Point, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria Times Colonist

Japanese skeleton shrimp found in Nateekin Bay
Historically cold temperatures made it difficult for invasive species survive in Alaska. The Japanese skeleton shrimp *Caprella mutica* is now established in Unalaska area and in this observation observed on a buoy line in Nateekin Bay.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
Melissa Good, Tammy Davis, Elizabeth E Mears

Encouraging signs in Huu-ay-aht rivers, despite salmon declines elsewhere
Observations this year from Huu-ay-aht territory see that volume of herring may finally be improving, as the First Nation is reporting a growing number of wild salmon migrating through its rivers.
Anacla 12, British Columbia, Canada
Ha-Shilth-Sa

High clam mortality rate forces closure on east Cook Inlet next year
An approximate 69% of adult razor clams at Ninilchik beaches and 84% at Clam Gulch beaches have died. The department said the cause of the high natural mortality rate of the clams remains unknown, but may be due to a combination of heavy surf, habitat changes, environmental stressor and predation.
Clam Gulch, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

Invasive European green crab found in Nuu-chah-nulth territories
The Lummi Nation has declared a disaster after removing 70,000 invasive European green crabs from their sea pond in November.
According to Seattle-based King News, the Lummi Nation cultivates shellfish and juvenile salmon in their 750-acre sea pond. The European green crab preys on young oysters, clams, and are known to dig down into the sand, uprooting eel grass, which is habitat for juvenile salmon.
Marietta-Alderwood, Washington, United States
Ha-Shilth-Sa

Harmful algae colours the Oslo fjord green
Scientists now say that the harmful alga will survive the winter and that it will probably turn green in the Oslo fjord next year as well.
Oslofjord, Oslo, Norway
NRK
Lea Girolami Bråthen, Dag Aasdalen, Maren Nan Myrseth

Jellyfish attack nuclear power plant
Scotland’s only working nuclear power plant at Torness shut down in an emergency procedure this week when jellyfish clogged the sea water-cooling intake pipes at the plant. To protect marine life and avert nuclear disasters, scientists are investigating the use of drones to provide estimates of jellyfish locations, amounts, and density.
Torness Power Station, Scotland
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Gumboot Chiton Cryptochiton stelleri Die-off
We saw over 100 on a 1/2 mile stretch of beach. I am wondering if the chiton die-off is related to the stormy conditions or something else?
Coupeville, Washington, United States

Valuable crab populations are in a ‘very scary’ decline in warming Bering Sea
King and snow crab populations in the Bering Sea have plummeted ahead of the harvest season, some by 99% compared to previous years.
Bering Sea
The Seattle Times

An invasive parasite is taking over Alaska blue mud shrimp. Researchers want to kill it.
Orthione griffenis, or O. griffenis, eventually kills its host shrimp, and soon the remaining shrimp can’t find each other to reproduce, rendering a blue mud shrimp population extinct.
Sitka, Alaska, United States

Large jellyfish threaten fisheries in the Sea of Japan
Swarms of giant jellyfish are floating along the coastline of the Sea of Japan, and the damage they may cause to fisheries is feared to be the worst in more than a decade.
Wakasa Bay, Japan
The Japan News

Decrease in Prawn Abundance of Desolation Sound
It is apparent that this area of coastline has experienced a sharp decline in its prawn populations. This may be due to increased fishing pressure from commercial prawn fishermen.
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
David Oswald, Cody Thomas, Conlan Magel, Tom Okey

Marine vomit spread along the western coast of Norway
A self-cloning and invincible enemy invades coastal areas. The carpet sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum) or “marine vomit” have been observed nearby Stavanger and Bergen. Large yellow flakes has spread on the seabed and kills everything beneath. It may grow on boats and can spread along the coast.
Engøysundet, Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
NRK
Josef Benoni Ness Tveit, Håkon Mannsåker

Sea cucumber die-off near Vancouver Island
When Kathleen Reed descended for her usual weekly dive off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., last Saturday she was shocked by how many dead sea cucumbers she saw. Experts and harvesters fear that sea cucumbers are being hit by an illness similar to sea star wasting disease.
Dolphin Beach, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Not seeing as many earthworms after rain events
"This year I walked along the same route after a rainstorm and see only one or two — sometimes none"
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Kimberly Porter, Luke Williams, Derek Sikes

He has lived for 74 years – for the first time the river is dry
Extreme drought in the west means that households with private waterworks are out of water. Elvar's dried up. "The situation is very serious," he says.
Skinlo, Breim, Vestland, Norway

Seeing some Worms in Kenai Salmon
About 10% of our catch during dip net fishing at mouth of Kenai River was harboring these worms.
Kenai River, Alaska, United States
Jayde Ferguson, Mike Brubaker, Ian Williams

Sea Life Die-Off Found on Beach
"While on a field trip for work, we stopped at the beach and you can notice hundreds of dead clams and star fish littering the beach."
Elim, Alaska, United States
Carol Oliver, Derek Sikes, Leigh Takak, Gay Sheffield, Racheal Lee

B.C.'s heat wave may be to blame for several cases of shellfish poisoning
Several people have fallen ill with food poisoning after eating shellfish in B.C. in the last 10 days, and health officials are warning that warm ocean waters might be to blame.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Blue mussel die-off in Skagway
"The first wave of dead mussels washed ashore on July 14th, possibly earlier but this was the first report we received. I took the pictures included in my LEO observation on July 16th, and the temperatures were only just then beginning to climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s."
Skagway, Alaska, United States
Kris Holderied, Mandy Lindeberg, Reuben Cash

European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) in Northwest, BC
A European Skipper butterfly is observed in Northwest BC, an introduced species and one of several stressors underlying insect declines.
Smithers, British Columbia, Canada

Intertidal life after significant heat wave
In Malahat Drive in BC, an extraordinary heat wave, combined with low tides during the middle of the day resulted in the die off of possibly billions of intertidal invertebrates along the coast of British Columbia and Washington State.
Malahat Drive

Extreme heat cooks shellfish alive on Puget Sound beaches
A record-shattering heat wave June 26-28 coincided with some of the year's lowest tides on Puget Sound. The combination was lethal for millions of mussels, clams, oysters, sand dollars, barnacles, sea stars, moon snails, and other tideland creatures exposed to three afternoons of intense heat.
Anacortes, Washington, United States
KUOW

Paralytic Shellfish Toxin Advisory
The Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research program found that all shellfish species in Settler's Cove and Seaport Beach in Ketchikan and Starrigavan North beach in Sitka are affected by high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Toxin, posing the risk of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning for consumers.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
Southeast Tribal Ocean Research

Turkey struck by ‘sea snot’ because of global heating
Increasing blanket of mucus-like substance in water threatens coral and fishing industry
Sea of Marmara
the Guardian

Washed up - euphausiid shrimp on area beach
Thousands of euphausiid shrimp, the species identified here in Resurrection Bay as Thysanoessa spinifera. were washed into the intertidal zone and on the beach near Whittier
Whittier, Alaska, United States
Gary Freitag, Melissa Good, Amy Holman, Sunny Rice, Tuula Hollmen, Julie Matweyou, Kris Holderied, Richard Hocking

Alaskans urged to destroy moss balls that could contain invasive mussels
Last week, Alaska became one of at least 32 states to report finding zebra mussels in a product called moss balls which were sold at local pet stores.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Large crayfish spotted in Osoyoos Lake
"I've seen some way bigger than that, like a baby lobster."
Osoyoos Lake, British Columbia, Canada
INFOnews

Zebra mussels on Marimo moss balls are causing an emergency in WA
Moss balls imported from Ukraine to pet shops in the United States have been found to house the invasive Zebra mussel. Once in bodies of water, this mussel reproduces rapidly and wreaks havoc on ecosystems.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Crosscut

Marine species wash up on beaches as red tide hits West Coast
A harmful algal bloom, better known as a red tide, has been building up at Elands Bay on the West Coast, about 220km north of Cape Town.
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
African News Agency

A New Clam in Town
Razor clams are the newest addition to Iceland’s resident fauna, RÚV reports. Researchers believe that the bivalves, which got their name in English from their long skinny shape, sharp edges, and resemblance to old fashioned straight razors, were brought to Iceland in the bilge water of cargo ships.
Hafnarfjörður, Capital Region, Iceland
Iceland Review

Feared sea urchin has come to Norway – Spreading like a plague
The species Japanese sea purse is found by divers in Stavanger harbour. "This is a plague we have been waiting for," says researcher Vivian Husa of the Institute of Marine Research. Now she particularly warns mussel breeders about the danger the species represents.
58.9812029, 5.7427645 Engøyholmen, Stavanger, Norway
Kyst og Fjord

Monitoring program tracks invasive (Didemnum vexillum) or “marine vomit”
On 2 November 2020, the Japanese invertebarate *Didemnum vexillum* was detected by diver and underwater photographer Erling Svensen at Engøyholmen in Stavanger harbor. The aim of a new monitoring project is to register occurrences of the presumed recently arrived D. vexillum in the delimited areas, and then to map how it spreads locally, and also what impact it has on the local fauna.
Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
havnespy.stavangerdykk.no

Dead giant octopuses washed ashore south from Kamchtka peninsula on the Kuril Islands
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.
Severo-Kuril’sk, Sakhalin, Russia
Siberian Times

Eco disaster at Kamchatka peninsula with mass death of sea animals at precious Pacific beach
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.
Khalaktyrsky Beach
Siberian Times

No treasure found under the rainbow: The soil is full of plastic garbage
In the pictures, Måøya looks like a pristine natural gem on the coast of Trøndelag. But when scientists and adolescents started digging into the soil, they got shock.
Måøya, Frøya, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
Solvår Flatås, Stein Lorentzen, Morten Andersen

Mystery lines on Haida Gwaii beach
I've asked quite a few of the elders here if they had ever seen and none of them said they had ever seen it, said Skidegate Chief Councillor Bill Yovanovich, who took the photos Saturday on Lina Island. They show small bits of white shells arranged into what appears to be an intentional grid pattern that stretches at least a hundred metres along the beach.
Lina Island, Haida Gwaii, Canada
Global News

Invasive grass carp caught in Chambly Basin
Scientists say the grass carp population in the Chambly Basin is probably small, but the presence of this species in any number is bad news.
Chambly, Quebec, Canada
Montreal Gazette

A person was fatally poisoned by mussels in Dutch Harbor, and now Alaska warns of high toxin levels
A person has died from paralytic shellfish poisoning after eating blue mussels and snails in the Aleutian Island community of Unalaska, state health officials confirmed Wednesday.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
KCUB Unalaska

Thousands of blue jellyfish clog cooling system in Israeli power plant
Thousands of jellyfish clogged up a cooling system and threatened to suspend production at a power plant in Israel. Video filmed at the Electric Company power plant on Thursday shows the light blue sea creatures being swept down a chute and into a bin. The power plant, based in the coastal city of Ashkelon, about 15 miles north of the Gaza strip, uses seawater to cool its
Ashqelon, Southern District, Israel
The Independent

‘A grave concern’: European green crabs discovered on Haida Gwaii
There are many types of crabs that are green in colour, but only the European green crab has five spines on the outside of each eye. The aggressive invasive species was discovered in Skidegate Inlet; and now working group formed to decide next steps.
Skidegate 1, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria News

Jellyfish the size of dinner plates on Northeast beaches
Some beaches in the northeastern United States are dealing with more than the threat of COVID-19 this holiday weekend. They have to contend with an unwelcome visitor: the Lion's Mane jellyfish.
Scituate, Massachusetts, United States
CNN

Giant 6ft lion's mane jellyfish spotted Colwyn Bay Beach in Wales
Dom Faux, 42, and daughter Eryn were enjoying a walk on Colwyn Bay Beach, north Wales when they came across a huge lion's mane jellyfish measuring six feet across.
Colwyn Bay, Wales, United Kingdom
Mail Online

Manet invasion in the Oslo Fjord
Large menger glass jellyfish in the Oslo fjord cause problems for both beachgoers and shrimp fishermen. The whole trawl was full before it reached the bottom where the shrimp are.
Saltnes, Østfold, Norway

Picking Shellfish Yields Tingling Fingers
Is there something that would cause fingers to tingle or swell after touching the mussels and clams?

Large landslides have passed in Alta
One person was evacuated and brought to safety after the landslide at Kråkneset in Alta municipality. A total of eight buildings were swept to the sea in the 650-metre landslide. Due to a high avalanche risk, police have still not entered the area.
Kråkenes, Alta, Norway
Sofie Dege Dimmen, Ida Loise Rostad, Idun Aalbu Rasmussen, Jo Hermstad Tronsen

"Startlingly Large" Jellyfish Washes Up on Maine Beach
A large lion's mane jellyfish was found on the shore on Peaks Island, Maine, over the weekend that measured in at a whopping five feet.
Peaks Island, Maine, United States
NECN

Rare blue dragons are washing up on a Texas seashore
Visitors to the Padre Island National Seashore in Texas are discovering blue dragons during their trips, and though it may not be the flying, fire-breathing creatures their name may suggest, it's still 'a rare find,' the park says.
Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, USA
CTVNews

Velella velella Strandings in Tofino
On a recent family vacation, stranded Velella velella were observed on beaches near Tofino, British Columbia.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

Gooseneck Barnacles
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

Over 70 Common Eiders Found Dead
Dozens of dead eiders have been found along the coast in Eastern Norway. The preliminary autopsy report shows no signs of bird flu, but the birds are thin and emaciated.
Larvik, Vestfold, Norway

Support

Observation Template