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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Another humpback whale found dead in the Salish Sea
A 21-year-old humpback whale, identified as Polyphemus, was found dead near Lasqueti Island, the second confirmed humpback death in B.C.’s coastal waters in just over two weeks. Cause of death is unknown; DFO and MERS urge caution to mariners to reduce vessel-strike risks.
Lasqueti Island, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Advocates call for safer waters as B.C. island mourns the loss of Wisp the humpback whale
A 4-year-old humpback whale named Wisp washed up on Keats Island, B.C., after a suspected collision with a tour vessel, prompting advocates to call for stronger protections and safer boating practices. Authorities and locals are urging measures to reduce ship strikes in the area.
Keats Island, British Columbia, Canada
CTVNews

Lions Bay mudslide tragedy leaves one dead and one person missing, local emergency declared
A mudslide in Lions Bay, British Columbia, has resulted in one death and one person missing, prompting a local emergency declaration and highlighting the area's vulnerability to debris flows due to past geotechnical oversight.
Lions Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

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

Mysterious smelly fat blobs pollute West Vancouver beach
District of West Vancouver staff say they cleaned up 40 litres of fat from Ambleside Beach. Vancouver Coastal Health and the province are investigating.
West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
North Shore News

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

Coyote bites another Stanley Park jogger a week after 4 of the animals put down
The BC Conservation Officer Service said the latest attack happened around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night, while a woman was jogging along the seawall.
West End, British Columbia, Canada
Global News

Arbutus trees under stress on Gabriola Island
In early April I observed what appears to be widespread disease of Arbutus trees (Arbutus menziesii) on the island. Leaf blight is a known factor affecting Arbutus trees; but I wonder if other factors such as climate change may also be contributing to what is perceived as a general decline of the species.
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

Western Red Cedar die-off in Pacific Spirit Park
In the last few years, I have observed a significant die-off of Western red cedar in several high traffic and peripheral areas of Pacific Spirit Regional Park (PSRP). The majority of the cedar trees I saw were noticeably consumed by browning, small, and young, with most likely more shallow root systems. This is consistent with vegetative stress to which young trees have not developed resilience, but older trees may be less impacted
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
David Oswald, Cody Thomas, Lauren Wright

Southern resident whales returning later to Salish Sea in ‘drastic’ change
Southern resident killer whales made their first appearance in the Salish Sea on Canada Day after more than two months with only a brief sighting off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Strait of Georgia
Times Colonist

Juvenile grey whale caught on camera in Nanoose Bay
A Parksville photographer has captured some stunning images of a grey whale that has been hanging out in the community of Nanoose Bay over the past several days.
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News

Ferries cancelled, flood watch issued as storm wallops B.C. South Coast
The storm pummeling much of B.C. incapacitated part of the ferry system and coated major highway passes and northern areas of the province in a heap of fresh snow.
Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) offshore of Vancouver
Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, British Columbia, Canada
Twitter

Invasive Asian giant hornets found on Vancouver Island
Asian giant hornets are known to feed on honeybees and other large insects and are capable of destroying a beehive in a short time, according to the province.
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News

West Vancouver closes popular beach due to bacteria levels
Another Metro Vancouver beach has been closed to swimmers following concerns about bacteria.
Ambleside Beach, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News

Rare white ‘ghost orca’ spotted near Nanaimo
The jury is still out on exactly what the cause is, but the unusually-coloured calf spotted near Nanaimo on Tuesday is already making waves.
Northern Strait of Georgia
Global News

Extreme weather sparks large die off of Cedar on Vancouver Island
A growing die off of native Western Red Cedar trees is becoming visible right across East Vancouver Island now. Experts say its a symptom of climate change and as Skye Ryan reports, its changing the forests we've come to know across this region.
East Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Dangerously high levels of Red Tide found in bivalve shellfish on B.C. coast
The threshold for closure is set at 80 parts per million, but concentration in those areas were found to be as high as 1,300 parts per million.The warning applies to oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and geoduck.
Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada
Global News

Three new humpback whales identified off east Vancouver Island
Three new humpback whales have been identified off the East Coast of Vancouver Island as that species makes a massive comeback in our waters.
Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

'Red tide' algal blooms appearing around B.C. coastal waters
A species commonly referred to as “red tide” has been spotted around B.C. coastal waters over the past month.
Coastal Waters, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

California Quail (Callipepla californica) Expanding Poleward

"Total devastation": Dozens of fish killed in North, West Vancouver streams
West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Vancouver Island cholera outbreak 'a unique situation,' health officials say
The cases in B.C. have been traced back to consumption of herring spawn, a treasured traditional food source for First Nations throughout Vancouver Island.
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

Cholera found in herring eggs from Oceanside area
NANAIMO — Island Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control are warning anyone who's eaten herring eggs recently to stay hydrated and safely dispose of any remaining eggs.
NanaimonewsNOW

Atlantic salmon arrive in French Creek -- Not in a good way!
Atlantic salmon, believed to be part of a cohort that escaped from a U.S.-based fish farm on Aug. 19, are being hauled in by anglers fishing out of French Creek on mid-Vancouver Island. Cameron Whe…
French Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Fisherynation.com

Juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in southern coastal BC
Southern BC Waters

Mysterious, Brain-Like Blob Found in Lagoon
Scientists are unsure if warming temperatures are causing the bizarre invertebrates to spread.
Lost Lagoon, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) near Vancouver
Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, British Columbia, Canada

Bumper harvest as herring return to Strait of Georgia in great numbers
The commercial roe-herring fishery opened with a flourish over the weekend as the gillnet fleet took its share of what the federal government predicts to be “near-historic” returns to the Strait of Georgia.
French Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

Plumose anemones (Metridium spp.) detaching from rocks
Bowyer Island, Howe Sound, British Columbia, Canada

Increasing Sea Surface Temperature at Entrance Island
Entrance Island, British Columbia, Canada

California anchovy (Engraulis mordax) schools
Turnstall Bay, Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Increased Spread of Japanese Knotweed
Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada

Are Vancouver's recent Gray Whale sightings the start of regular seasonal visits?
Tuesday’s (September 29) sighting of a gray whale swimming and possibly feeding right off the Stanley Park Seawall brings recent sightings up to three in that area. It isn’t clear if it is the same whale or different whales in the widely reported incidents since August 12. One whale, perhaps the same animal each time, was observed for days in the same area in English Bay, sometimes travelling into Burrard Inlet and off West Vancouver’s Ambleside Beach.
Stanley Park Seawall, British Columbia, Canada
Georgia Straight

Bullfrogs threaten B.C. ecosystems
While their kin are declining worldwide, Canada’s largest amphibian, the bullfrog, is multiplying out of control in British Columbia — with some human help
Southwestern British Columbia
Canadian Geographic

Big Mama and the return of the humpback whales to the Salish Sea
Not a single humpback whale was seen in the Salish Sea for nearly a hundred years
Salish Sea
Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly

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