A small but potentially environmentally threatening crab is expanding its area of influence in Alaska.

It was a sunny afternoon until the sky abruptly darkened, heavy rain came down and winds gusted up to 60 mph. A cruise ship docked downtown broke free of its mooring and drifted into the Gastineau Channel at the height of the storm.

Tick populations are surging in the United States. Binghamton University experts offer tips to avoid tick bites. -

Sitka had an early bloom that led to high shellfish toxins in April, and there is currently a paralytic shellfish toxin advisory across Southeast for recreational and subsistence harvest.

An unusual sighting of Risso's dolphins near Benjamin Island.

Francisella tularensis Subspecies holarctica in Stranded Beluga Whales, Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA

Puzzling on what happened to the songbirds this winter. Could this be attributed to food shortages, invasives species...avian illness? The decline should be giving everyone pause.

There have virtually no songbirds at our bird feeder this month. Wondering (and a little worried) where they have all gone to, and whether this is neighborhood, or something that is being noticed more broadly.

A fox attack on a house cat in Kotzebue, Alaska, raises concerns about unusual wildlife behavior, potentially linked to diseases like rabies or avian influenza, and highlights the importance of disease prevention and wildlife management.

"Grayling guts with unknown pearl like cyst or tapeworm. Never seen this before in our grayling."

Starfish wasting observed in Kassan for the first time in several years.

Atlantic salmon parr in Shinney's Brook, Labrador, exhibit an unusual condition with round, jelly-like substances and blood-like markings, yet appear healthy and behave normally. The conditions may be Atlantic salmon papillomatosis.

These small rodents are a key part of the Northwest Arctic ecosystem.

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.

A couple of weeks ago I spotted a small gull on the second bridge behind Kotzebue. The bird wouldn't fly and was walking slowly.

These eggs from a trout caught in the Fish River, had unusual milky translucent capsules in it.

A small pod of Risso's dolphins, typically found in deeper mid-temperate and tropical oceans waters, was spotted near Hoonah and Juneau, Alaska.

A Kachemak Bay water taxi crew had a once-in-a-lifetime walrus sighting.

Before she knew what was happening, a large female killer whale lifted Bloom’s paddleboard up out of the water. “And at that moment it was like terror,” Bloom said.

A Pacific sleeper shark, typically not found onshore, was discovered at Boy Scout Beach with injuries suggesting it was bycatch from local fishing activities, highlighting ongoing concerns about the species' vulnerability to human interactions.

In late March, a local whale biologist spotted something out of place in Sitka Sound. She’s still having a hard time believing it, but pictures suggest an incredibly rare sighting– a juvenile bowhead whale.

This winter large numbers of redpolls have been observed at bird feeders, from Fairbanks to Anchorage. ADFG reports that mass mortality events of redpolls have also been observed. ADFG advises homeowners not to handle dead or sick birds, and to prevent pets from coming in contact with them. Bird illness may be caused by a bacteria that could also affect people and pets.

A crab was caught on the ice just offshore in Nome. It had a small invertebrate in the gills of the crab.

The hind of the moose was also covered with flies.

White cysts in the muscle of salmon could be caused by Henneguya salminicola also called "tapioca disease". It affects the texture of the meat but is not a health concerns for people. White cysts could also however, be from a tape worm. That is a human health concern. Guidance on how to check the cysts to confirm and how to prepare food so it is safe to eat, is provided.

While subsistence salmon fishing, community members from Port Heiden found a skate in the net, which is unusual for them.

An image of a swollen leg on this caribou raises questions that it may be a case of brucellosis.

Harbor seal looking sick with patches of fur missing.

Ali Ralson was riding her 4 Wheeler towards Cape Blossom and came upon a beach full of fish. It appears that most of the fish are stickleback although there may be other species involved too. This would suggest an environmental issue that would impact multiple fish species rather than a pathogen. One potential cause could be harmful algal toxins.

Between the fall of 2021 and the fall of 2022, APU students observed a dramatic decrease in the number of Peregrine Falcons between Eagle and Circle, Alaska.

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?

Tick was found on a dog in Sand Point. Is it an invasive species?

No one in Grayling has seen this big a whitefish before. ADFG lists state record for broad whitefish as 11 lbs. This one weighed in at 15 lbs!

There were a plenty of what appeared to be juvenile dead stickle back fish on the top of the embankment of a few ponds.

"Since about May 25, crews have been seeing multiple species showing what we believe are signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The signs we are seeing widespread is a headshaking that we equate to "getting the cobwebs out", like a person may do when they first wake up. This behavior occurs regularly every couple minutes. This behavior has been observed in: black brant, cackling geese, bar-tailed godwits, dunlin, lapland longspurs, spectacled eiders, emperor geese, greater white-fronted geese, sabines gulls, glaucous gulls, and red-necked phalaropes."

"This is the first time in our lives that we have seen a cormorant in Kotzebue Sound."

Over the past five days there have been increasing reports of unusual behavior in a variety of bird species including brant goose, snow goose, white-fronted goose, and Canada goose.

Video shows unusual circling behavior of a brant goose filmed by a local hunter near Golovin, Alaska. Although the cause is unknown, this type of behavior is according to USGS, "highly suggestive" of an infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

This fox "was not scared of me" and it continued to repeat this motion as the person (Venessa Koonooka), watched for ~10 minutes.

This video shot on Thursday May 19th, shows the erratic circling behavior of a Canada goose. Although the cause is unknown, this type of behavior is according to USGS, "highly suggestive" of an infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

Hunters in Northway have noted an unusual high presence of parasites in the breast meat of surf scoters during spring migration. Less parasites have been observed during the fall harvest.

No one in Togiak had ever seen a fish like this before. In the photo it looks like a cross between a tad pole and a piranha! With help from ADF&G it has been identified as the smooth lumpsucker fish, found at depths of up to 1000 meters.

A passenger on a small commercial plane flying between Nome and Golovin reported seeing 5-6 swans all motionless, floating on a pond. The reason of the behavior is unknown.

This small owl was sighted perching under a building. LEO Network looking for some help on an identification.

A number of sick and / or dying songbirds were reported in McCarthy including pine grosbeaks and red polls. A sickly golden eagle was reported ten days earlier. "It flew up to a tree top but appeared weak and a bit awkward."

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.

The tomcod harvests in the Kongiganak, Cavuuneq and Ilkivik Rivers have been a failure. Also in other areas, based on observations from Chevak and Chefornak. Both the surface and bottom trawl results show a clear decline in tomcod biomass in the North Bering Sea.

There is usually an abundance of this fish in the fall and early winter season. This is a usual harvest for most YK Delta coastal villages. Note: According to NOAA Bering Sea Bottom Trawl data, there has been an 88% decline reported in the biomass of saffron cod from 2020 to 2021 in the N. Bering Sea.

"I've seen photos documenting one squirrel in Nome from 2007 and a Nome Nugget article in 2019, but we've had 3-4 reports of red squirrels this summer."

About 10% of our catch during dip net fishing at mouth of Kenai River was harboring these worms.