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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

Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) with Twisted Spine
Chum salmon (*Oncorhynchus keta*) caught with a spinal curvature, which may be related to many different factors including genetics, infectious disease, trauma, neoplasm, diet, or changes in the environment.
Mountain Village, Alaska, United States

Warmer Water Means More Parasites In Kuskokwim Salmon
Subsistence families along the Kuskokwim River are cutting open fish to find white balls or white streaks deforming the meat.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Stranded walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
"Its face was down in the mud and it was laboring to breathe. Its body condition was wasted and we could see its ribs."
Solomon, Alaska, United States
Jonathan Snyder, Dean Stockwell, Barbara Mahoney, Anahma Shannon, Mellisa Heflin, Gay Sheffield, Kathy Kuletz, Racheal Lee, Louisa Castrodale, Joel Garlich-Miller, Michelle Snowball, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Chris Dankmeyer

13-year-old girl bit by sea lion in ‘very rare’ attack at Pismo Beach
A girl from Paso Robles, California, was bit by a sea lion in Pismo Beach on Friday near the pier. The animal that attacked likely had domoic acid poisoning, and will be treated at the Marine Mammal Center.
Pismo Beach, California, United States
The San Luis Obispo Tribune

Tumor found in King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Tumor found in King Salmon (*Oncorhynchus tshawytscha*)
Pilot Station, Alaska, United States

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

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) regurgitation full of plastic found in Unalaska
Regurgitation from a bald eagle contains plastic pieces.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
Melissa Good, Anna-Katri Kulmala, Veronica Padula

Underweight bearded seal pup found near Shaktoolik is now recovering at the Alaska SeaLife Center
The rehabilitation center in Seward doesn’t usually get bearded seals, which live much farther north.
Shaktoolik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Strange Growth in Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)
An unusual growth was found in a snow goose (*Anser caerulescens*) while it was being butchered. The growth may be related to a previous injury or illness that the bird healed from.
Stebbins, Alaska, United States
Jerry Hupp, Mike Brubaker, Kathy Burek Huntington, Harold Okitkun, Todd O'Hara

Salal (Gaultheria shallon) dying, tops showing dry brown leaves
Salal bushes observed to be very dry and dying in British Columbia.
Burnaby Mountain, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Pike (Esox Lucius) Caught with Pug Head Deformity to Mouth/Jaw
Northern Pike (*Esox Lucius*) caught with "pug head" jaw deformity, usually associated with cold water temperatures during incubation.
Kotlik, Alaska, United States
Harold Okitkun, Jayde Ferguson, Elizabeth Lindley

Record Temps in Goldstream
Warm temperatures are rapidly melting snow and creating ice, which creates difficult conditions for dog mushers. Migratory birds are arriving early, and a mosquito emerged months early. Small owls dead around the Goldstream Valley that looked unusually thin.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Distemper Remains Likely Cause of Gulf of Maine Seal Die-Off
Scientists have narrowed down the top likely causes of more than 1,400 seal deaths across New England.
Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States
National Public Radio

Herring Infection Worsens
A considerable number of the herring catch that’s been landed in recent days has been found to be infected. As such, almost all of it will be incinerated.
Note, according to Fisheries Information and Resource System (FIRMS) the infection rate of herring with Ichthyophonus in Iceland was estimated to be 32% in the in the winter 2008/2009.
Vopnafjörður, Austurland, Iceland
Iceland Review

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

Jelly-like Meat Texture Found in Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)
Ringed seal (*Phoca hispida*) found with jelly-like meat texture and thin skin near the armpit and ribcage.
Scammon Bay, Alaska, United States

Potentially deadly infection hits California sea lions
A rescue center says California sea lions are coming down with a potentially fatal bacterial infection in near-record numbers.The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito says more than 220 sea lions rescued this year have been diagnosed with leptospirosis.
Sausalito, California, United States
ABC News

Parasite found in walrus meat in Sanikiluaq, warns health department
A walrus has tested positive for trichinella, also known as “pork worm” in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut according to the territorial health department.
Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

Another Southern Resident killer whale is losing body condition, and researchers are concerned about the pregnant females
Salish Sea
Candace Calloway Whiting

Hundreds of Seals Are Dying on the New England Coast
Deaths of gray and harbor seals, in much greater numbers than usual, have been attributed to viruses related to distemper and the flu.
Isles of Shoals, United States
New York Times

Small Deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) Found with Signs of Injury or Illness
Small, approachable, deer found with possible broken jaw, discolored saliva, and injury on hindquarter.
Larsen Bay, Alaska, United States

Asian tapeworm found in Alaskan salmon
Scientists recently announced they had found an Asian tapeworm species in pink salmon caught off the coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Listen now
Hope, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Infected salmon just another problem for Yukon subsistence fishermen
Yukon subsistence fishermen face challenges with gear restrictions, closures, and reports of salmon potentially infected with ichthyophonus, impacting their summer fishing activities.
Yukon River, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) with Hair Loss
11-18-15 Bearded seal with hair loss - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Ocean acidity wipes out 10 million scallops near Qualicum Beach
Ten million scallops that have died in the waters near Qualicum Beach due to rising ocean acidity are the latest victims in a series of marine die-offs that have plagued the West Coast for 10 years. . .
Island Scallops Ltd., Vancouver Island, Canada
Times Colonist

Hairless Seal
10-19-13 Hairless seal - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Dead Baby Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)
Several sightings of dead baby belugas were reported on the shores of the community and in the area over the past few days.
Elim, Alaska, United States

Unusual Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus)
5-29-12 Unusual bearded seal - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida) with Sores
Ringed seal with sores found in Shishmaref.

Deer with Hair Loss
Sitka black-tailed deer (*Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis*) seen with large amount of hair loss.
Hollis, Alaska, Unites States

Seal with Hair Loss
Seal with hair loss observed in Bering Strait region
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Fur loss, oozing sores observed in Arctic Alaska polar bears
Polar bear researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey are only halfway into their annual survey in Alaska and they've already come across nine bears – six in Barrow and 3 in Kaktovik – with signs of alopecia and skin lesions. The muzzle, face, eyes, ears and neck appear most affected, according to a bulletin published Friday by the agency.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Pneumonia outbreak hits bighorn sheep
At least a handful of sheep have died over the past month or so from pneumonia caused by a strain of bacteria that had not previously been found in bighorns anywhere in Oregon
Baker City, Oregon, United States
Baker City Herald

Scientists baffled over hundreds of fish 'spinning and whirling' dead onto South Florida shores
Scientists are puzzled over what is causing hundreds of fish to wash up dead in South Florida, including an endangered species native to the region.
Everglades
ABC News

Fatal songbird illness reported in North Carolina. Don't touch dead birds, state says
The mysterious eye illness that has been killing songbirds in mid Atlantic states have moved into North Carolina, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission reports.
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Charlotte Observer

Alberta confirms 5 cases of avian flu spreading to mammals
"We had an unusually large number of calls about skunks that were acting strange or being found dead and it was all within the area where we had confirmed that the avian influenza virus was present in the snow geese," Dr. Margo Pybus, a provincial wildlife disease specialist with Fish and Wildlife Alberta Environment and Parks, said. "We believe that the skunks are feeding on the dead geese and they are getting enough virus that it’s actually affecting the skunks."
Innisfail, Alberta, Canada
Global News

'It's a genetic mutation,' says Yukon biologist of 1st recorded sighting of a black lynx
The lynx was seen in the Whitehorse area and it was captured on video by someone living there. That footage made its way to Jung who reported it in an article published in October in the scientific journal Mammalia. It was the first-ever recorded sighting of a black lynx in Canada.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
CBC

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

Bird flu continues to spread across the state
Bird Flu cases continue to rise in Alaska and are spreading across the state. Note: in Anchorage this has included two bald eagles and four Canada goose.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Scientists Find Worrisome Lesions on Endangered Southern Resident Orcas
The peer-reviewed research published this week in the Public Library of Science suggests that 99% of the orcas studied had photographic evidence of skin lesions. Researchers evaluated photos from nearly 20,000 orca sightings from 2004 to 2016, finding that lesions — often gray patches and gray targets on the orcas' skin — generally became more prevalent over time.
Seattle, Washington, United States
The Daily Chronicle

Avian influenza case detected in wild goose in Halifax area
The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources says it was a Canada goose. When found in Grand Désert, the wild goose had the H5N1 strain of influenza and was showing symptoms. She died 24 hours later.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Radio-Canada.ca

Dead skunks in Larimer County test positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza
Thirteen of the state's 14 confirmed mammal deaths have occurred in the past month.
Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
Fort Collins Coloradoan

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