LEO Network

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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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Observations

Algae bloom chokes Achencoil river stretch
Eutrophication — excess nutrients in water — and environmental changes were identified as the cause of the harmful algal blooms in the fresh aquatic system of the Achencoil.
Pathanāmthitta, Kerala, India
The Hindu

Thousands of seabirds found dead along east coast – with climate change blamed
Rising sea temperatures may mean prey swimming in deeper water out of reach of guillemots, razorbills, puffins and kittiwakes
Stromness, Scotland, United Kingdom
The Independent

Sea Lice Plagues Return and Threat to Wild Salmon Increases
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.
Clayquot Sound, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

The Salish Sea’s orcas are late for their annual summer visit, the latest sign something is wrong
Researchers say their absence is a stark reminder that the orcas are slowly starving to death because there is not enough Chinook salmon to sustain them.
Salish Sea
The Star

Rare Glass Sponge Reef Smothered By Fish Farm Waste
Underwater camera captured ‘a wasteland, covered in brown sediment.’
Cecil Island Fish Farm, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

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

Salmon fishing closes on large stretch of Columbia
The counts of fall Chinook at Bonneville Dam are 29 percent below preseason forecasts, and ongoing fisheries are approaching the allowable catch limits under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Columbia River, Washington, United States
The Columbian

Dead birds prompt warnings across Island
Health and animal control officials on the Island are warning that possible avian flu, specifically highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), may have infected hundreds of dead cormorants that have been found on Martha’s Vineyard beaches. On Wednesday, the state issued a press release saying that there has been an increase in shorebird deaths statewide, with …
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States
The Martha's Vineyard Times

Second year in row, big numbers of wild reindeer calves are found dead along banks of great river Khatanga
Poaching and climate change might be the reasons why more than 1,200 migrating animals did not make it across the wide Arctic waterway.
Khatanga river, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

Poaching: Almost 90 elephants dead in biggest ever slaughter in Africa
Botswana's 2018 Wildlife Aerial Survey has revealed large-scale poaching of the country's elephants with conservationists saying so far, 87 carcasses have been found.
The South African

Low oxygen levels along Pacific Northwest coast a ‘silent’ climate change crisis
If upwelling starts a month earlier than usual, the amount of oxygen, already low, has to last until the fall when storms promote mixing which adds oxygen back into the system. As of late September this year, upwelling is still occurring and low levels of oxygen are still persisting.
Seattle, Washington, United States
The Seattle Times

From Iceland — Beached Whale In Northwest Iceland Sparks Concern
A sperm whale beached itself in the northwest Iceland region of Skaga, the Northwest Iceland Nature Agency reports.
Skagaströnd, Northwest, Iceland
The Reykjavik Grapevine

Record-warm Arctic summer did not bring joy to wildlife
Climate change is triggering behavior change among animals across the Arctic. In Northern Siberia wild reindeer this summer started migrating almost a month earlier than normal.
Khatanga, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

Starvation death looms as huge amount of snow piles up over icy crust
Grazing conditions are very poor this winter in Norway as an unusual amount of snow forces the reindeer to dig really deep to find food.
Sápmi
The Independent Barents Observer

Sargassum is blamed for dead fish on Ambergris Caye
The thick accumulation of these sea plants on the coastline is apparently causing detrimental effects on certain fish species as residents have reported dead fish along the shores.
San Pedro Town, Belize, Belize
The San Pedro Sun

Thousands of Endangered Seals Wash Up Dead on Russia's Caspian Shore
At least 2,500 dead Caspian seals have been found on the shores of Russia’s Caspian Sea coast, local authorities said Sunday.
Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia
The Moscow Times

Salmon Is Disappearing From Russia’s Amur River. It’s Taking Local Tradition With It
The Amur River, once full of salmon, has seen the fish all but vanish since 2017. The problem started because of over fishing. At first companies were harvesting in the first 100 kilometers of the river, and since they have expanded 700, 800 kilometers upstream.
Khabarovsk, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia
The Moscow Times

More dead ice seals found near Deering
This comes just days after other reports of about 60 dead ice seals found from Kotlik to Kotzebue and Kivalina to Point Hope.
Deering, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

No Chestnut Trees, No Honey — Beekeeping at Risk in Russia's South
A sharp decline in chestnut trees caused by a parasitic fungus in Russia's southern Krasnodar region is threatening the area's honey production, according to local beekeepers and scientists.
Krasnodar, Krasnodarskiy, Russia
The Moscow Times

Dolphin and seal deaths in Waterford Harbour spur call for inquiry
Verified reports of deaths and circumstantial evidence animals trapped in ‘bycatch’
Waterford City, Ireland
The Irish Times

Mass die-off of clams fouls Revere Beach
The Division of Marine Fisheries is analyzing the clams and expects to have preliminary results in the coming days that might point to a cause.
Revere, Massachusetts, United States
The Boston Globe

From Iceland — 50 Geese Have Died Due To Unknown Circumstances
This weekend, 50 white-fronted geese were found dead in Hvalnes in Lón and in Suðurfjörður, Fréttablaðið reports. An announcement from...
Djúpivogur, East, Iceland
The Reykjavik Grapevine

On Arctic island, a reindeer tragedy
In less than three years, the number of animals on the island of Kolguyev dropped from more than 12,000 to only 153.
Колгуевский сельсовет, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia

‘It’s pretty dire’: Vancouver Island salmon under threat from climate change-induced droughts
Since the initial June to July heatwave shocked the Pacific Northwest, Heim says the Tsolum River Restoration Society has observed significantly fewer fish in the river, especially in its lower portions. Many of the remaining coho, which survived the heat wave, are suffering from diseases and fin rot as a result of heat stress.
Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

Stanley declared a temporary control zone as first case of avian flu confirmed
Stanley, Falkland Islands, establishes a temporary control zone following the confirmation of its first avian flu case.
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Falklands Radio • Broadcasting news and entertainment to the Falkland Islands

Bird flu outbreak hits Barents Sea coast
Reports are coming in about hundreds of dead birds from Hammerfest in the west to Murmansk in the east. A zone with a radius of five kilometers is closed and guards are in place round-the-clock.
Vidyayevo, Murmansk, Russia

Shrinking Western Arctic Caribou Herd prompts discussion about future hunting restrictions
One of the largest caribou herds in Alaska is shrinking, prompting hunters and conservationists to consider recommending hunting restrictions.
Northwest Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

Nine cats killed by bird flu in Poland as global outbreak continues
Nine infected cats were found in Poznań, the tri-city metropolitan area, and Lublin, locations separated by hundreds of kilometers. All tested positvie for HPAI.
Poznań, Powiat Łukowski, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland
The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com

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