The 450-acre Offal Beach Fire is burning for the fifth consecutive day about 11 miles northeast of Port Heiden.

This region in the Bering Sea began to change color in early July, during roughly the same period when dead shearwaters began being reported by LEO members in coastal communities. Ocean experts suspect it's a non-toxic coccolithophore bloom. Interestingly, these kinds of blooms have occurred before in conjunction with shearwater die-offs. But this may be circumstantial.

It is unusual to find a dead shark. And it occurred at a time when there were many other standings of marine mammals and birds.

The timing coincides with other sea bird deaths reported in St. Paul Island, Pilot Point, and Ugashik.