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

Joggers spot seal swimming in central Helsinki
Joggers filmed a seal swimming and eating a fish in central Helsinki’s Eläintarhanlahti bay near Hakaniemi. The sighting lasted about 20 minutes and surprised onlookers in the urban setting.
Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
Yle News

Stranded pilot whale rescued in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia
A young long-finned pilot whale stranded in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia, was stabilized and refloated by the Marine Animal Response Society and local volunteers, then guided to deeper water with help from a Jet Ski. The animal swam away strongly, and responders urged the public to report such incidents rather than attempt rescues themselves.
Cow Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada
PNI Atlantic News

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

Polar bear mother and cub enter residential area in Dikson
A polar bear with a cub has been frequenting residential areas in Dikson amid anomalously warm weather and lack of sea ice. Authorities advise residents not to approach or feed the bears as Rosprirodnadzor monitors the situation.
Dikson, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia
Taimyrsky Telegraf

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

Sea lions prefer the north
Sea lions are increasingly favoring the northern regions of Cape Chukotka, Russia, a shift from their usual habitats, possibly due to changing environmental conditions.
Cape Chukotka, Chukotka, Russia

Whales flock to the herring
The vessel Beitir NK landed 700 tons of herring in Neskaupstaður, as skippers report many whales—especially orcas—converging on herring grounds and following the net to the ship. Recent catches suggest the herring has shifted north toward Bakkaflói.
Neskaupstaður, Austurland, Iceland
mbl.is

Rare sight in Ofotfjorden: First time I see this
Two walruses were seen swimming in Ofotfjorden near Lillevika, surprising a local observer. Such sightings are rare in this area.
Narvik, Nordland, Norway
Fremover

End of summer brings a rare sight on Maquoit Bay
Calm late-summer conditions and a fall surge in forage fish activity led to a rare sighting of harbor porpoises inside Maquoit Bay in Brunswick, Maine. The columnist reflects on seasonal transitions and why porpoises may have ventured into the typically shallow bay.
Brunswick, Maine, United States
The Portland Press Herald

Humpback whale beached in Eyjafjörður
A dead humpback whale washed ashore on the outer Eyjafjörður coast near the farm Áshól over the weekend. Police notified relevant agencies; the carcass will be left in place as it poses no immediate hazard.
Áshól, Eyjafjörður, Iceland
mbl.is

State issues alert for toxic shellfish found in Kachemak Bay
Alaska health officials issued an alert after wild shellfish from Kachemak Bay’s inner bay tested above regulatory limits for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. Residents are warned not to harvest or eat untested wild shellfish; monitoring and test results are being posted by the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network.
Homer, Alaska, United States
Homer News

Emma was on the fast ferry that hit the whale: "Terrible to see"
A passenger, Emma, says a routine fast-ferry trip near Hammerfest turned dramatic when the vessel struck a whale; the whale was visibly injured with blood in the water.
Hammerfest, Troms og Finnmark, Norway
Nordlys

Sea waters around UK experience record temperatures, causing dramatic changes in marine life
Sea surface temperatures around the UK have been the warmest start to the year on record, driving unusual species like bluefin tuna, octopus and mauve stinger jellyfish into British and Irish waters. Irish waters have cooled since a May marine heatwave but remain above average in the east and south.
United Kingdom and Ireland
The Irish Times

Polar Bear near Hornstrandir
A polar bear was spotted traveling on an ice floe near the Hornstrandir peninsula in the Westfjords of Iceland.
Hornstrandir, Westfjords, Iceland
Vísir

Polar Bear Shot on Svalbard
A polar bear was shot and killed on Blomstrandhalvøya, Svalbard, after it threatened a group of residents; the Governor of Svalbard has launched an investigation and the four-year-old male bear was taken to Longyearbyen for examination.
Blomstrandhalvøya, Svalbard, Norway
NRK Troms og Finnmark

Fishermen of Uelen village accidentally caught a dolphin
Fishermen from Uelen in Chukotsky District hauled in what they believed was a dolphin, but specialists later identified the animal as a harbour porpoise.
Uelen, Chukotsky District, Chukotka, Russia
ProChukotku

Humpback whale found dead in Gastineau Channel
A young male humpback whale calf was discovered dead drifting near Sandy Beach in Gastineau Channel and towed by U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA officials to undergo a necropsy.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Caspian Sea Water Levels Drop to Historic Low
Water levels in the Caspian Sea have fallen to more than 29 meters below the Baltic Sea reference point, a historic low, exposing large areas of seabed in the northern region and threatening its ecosystems.
Caspian Sea
The Moscow Times

Whale Stranding at Vogar on Vatnsleysuströnd
A whale carcass washed ashore just outside the settlement of Vogar on the Vatnsleysuströnd coast this afternoon. A marine biologist suggests that altered fish migration patterns, a consequence of climate change, are likely responsible for the higher number of strandings observed.
Vogar, Southern Peninsula, Iceland
mbl.is

Spotting rare right whale off Newfoundland had this tour guide 'Out of my skin excited'
A local tour guide spotted one of fewer than 370 North Atlantic right whales off the southern Avalon Peninsula this month, thrilling wildlife enthusiasts and providing key data to DFO.
St. Shott's, Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
CBC News

Beached Seldovia whale returns alive to Kachemak Bay
A minke whale stranded on MacDonald Spit near Seldovia for six hours on July 17 but refloated with the rising tide and swam back into Kachemak Bay; the Seldovia Village Tribe suspects a toxic algal bloom disoriented the whale.
Seldovia, Alaska, United States
KBBI AM 890

Bad week for Kodiak’s migrating gray whales
A USCG survey flight spotted three more dead gray whales on Sitkinak and Tugidak islands, bringing the 2025 total in the Kodiak region to 11, with several apparently killed by orcas and others appearing emaciated.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

NCCOS Assists Response to Multispecies Mortality Event in St. George Island, Alaska
A rapid, multi-agency response is underway on St. George Island, Alaska, to investigate a multispecies mortality event linked to a harmful algal bloom, with concerns that paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) toxins may be affecting local wildlife and human health.
Saint George, Alaska, United States
NCCOS - National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

KBNERR warns of potential harmful algal bloom in Kachemak Bay
The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve detected Pseudo-nitzschia at bloom levels in Kachemak Bay starting July 4. This diatom can produce the toxin domoic acid, associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning, though toxin production is not yet confirmed. Observed bird deaths and marine mammal strandings have spurred collection of mussel samples for lab testing.
Homer, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

Lone beluga whale observed in Oslofjord and Sunnhordland – unusual this far south
A solitary beluga whale has been sighted in Norway’s Oslofjord and later in Sunnhordland, far south of its normal Arctic range. Researchers say the animal appears healthy but is likely separated from its group and urge people to keep their distance.
Dimmelsvik, Sunnhordland, Norway
NRK

Dozens of Pilot Whales Stranded in Ólafsfjörður
Dozens of pilot whales were stranded in Ólafsfjörður on June 21, but ICE-SAR teams managed to refloat them and guide them safely back to open water.
Ólafsfjörður, Northeastern Region, Iceland
Iceland Monitor

Ferry Norrøna got a whole whale on its bow
When the Smyril Line ferry Norrøna arrived at Seyðisfjørður harbor in Iceland on June 19, crew and port officials discovered a large whale lodged across its bow, likely having been dead or mortally injured before impact.
Seyðisfjørður, Eastern Region, Iceland
Dimma.fo

Whaling: Minke Whales in the Barents Sea Unusually Thin
This season’s minke whales caught in the Barents Sea are notably underweight, with experienced whalers and marine scientists observing unusually thin blubber layers and visible ribs.
Barents Sea, Norway
NRK

Second Attempt Planned to Help Stranded Orca Return to Sea
Rescue teams in Reykjavík will make a second, high-tide effort this evening to nudge an orca stranded since Tuesday night in the shallow cove of the Grafarvogur neighbourhood back into open waters.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
Iceland Review

Dead whale near Yakutat
A dead grey whale was discovered near the mouth of the Akwe River, raising concerns about a possible ship collision due to increased marine traffic from cruise ships and fishing boats in the area.
Mouth of Akwe River

Whale species never before seen in B.C. washes up on Vancouver Island
A young Bryde’s whale washed up dead in Port McNeill Bay on northern Vancouver Island, marking the first known sighting of this warm-water species in B.C. waters.
Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News

Risso's dolphins observed near Juneau
An unusual sighting of Risso's dolphins near Benjamin Island.
Benjamin Island, Alaska
Barb Lake, Barbara Mahoney, Bruce Wright, Michelle Dutro

Polar bear attacks and injures skier in Nunavut national park
A skier was evacuated to an emergency shelter before being transported by snowmobile to Pangnirtung’s health centre. The incident occurred early Thursday morning and the skier is receiving treatment, with no update on their condition.
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Canada
CBC News

Whale Stranding in Njarðvík, Borgarfjörður Eystri
A six‑meter whale, likely a northern bottlenose whale, washed ashore in Njarðvík at Borgarfjörður Eystri on Good Friday. Locals notified Icelandic environmental authorities, but the carcass may remain on the beach over Easter.
Njarðvík, Borgarfjörður Eystri, Iceland
Vísir

Humpback whale spotted near Kessock Bridge and Beauly Firth
A humpback whale was sighted in the Beauly Firth near Inverness, passing under the Kessock Bridge and swimming close to Castle Stewart golf course before heading back out to sea. Whales this size in this area is quite a rare occurrence, adding that in case of such sightings, best practice would be to report them to British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
Inverness, Highland, United Kingdom
Inverness Courier

Time for a bear: Baie Verte Peninsula town gets midday visit from a polar bear
Residents of Ming's Bight were alerted by a low-flying helicopter as a polar bear made an unexpected midday visit, prompting immediate safety precautions for children and locals.
Ming's Bight, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
SaltWire

'Feral, almost demonic': Surge in poisoned sea lions threatens SoCal beachgoers, burdens rescuers
Domoic acid poisoning is stranding marine mammals as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness.
Oxnard, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

White Bear Driven Away from Uelen Village for Over a Week
In Uelen, Chukotka, a volunteer 'Bear Patrol' has been driving away a white bear for over a week after its initial appearance on February 26, attracted by the scent of stored walrus meat. The bear’s recurring intrusion has raised concerns as Uelen lies along the polar bear migration route, and similar incidents have reportedly tripled compared to previous years.
Uelen, Chukotka, Russia
ProChukotku

Five headless seals have washed up on Chilkat Valley beaches in the last few months; here's possibly why
Over the past few months, several headless seals have washed ashore along Chilkat Valley, prompting local marine expert Tim Ackerman to suggest that killer whale predation may be involved, although a bullet-hole found on one seal hints at potential human involvement.
Chilkat Valley, Haines, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Surfing sea otter clambers onto board in B.C., prompting warning
A sea otter was seen climbing onto surfboards and following surfers near Sooke, British Columbia, prompting safety warnings from Fisheries and Oceans Canada regarding interactions with marine mammals.
Sooke, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

BC Ferries cancels multiple sailings Dec. 25 due to wind and heavy rain warnings
BC Ferries has cancelled all sailings between Duke Point and Tsawwassen on December 25th due to severe weather forecasts predicting high winds and heavy rain.
British Columbia, Canada
CHEK News

Male orca's surprise visit causes a splash in Vancouver Island harbour
A 23-year-old male orca named Noah made a surprising visit to Victoria's Inner Harbour on December 14, causing excitement among locals.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Bird flu confirmed in 2 ringed seals near Resolute Bay, Nunavut
Bird flu has been detected in two ringed seals near Resolute Bay, Nunavut, following a previous case in a seabird, marking an unusual occurrence of the virus in marine mammals.
Resolute, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

The mass death of walruses on one of the rookeries of Chukotka was recorded by Far Eastern scientists
Scientists have documented an unusual mass death of walruses at a Chukotka rookery, with over 100 carcasses. In October, the rookery on Cape Serdtse-Kamen was occupied by walruses of the American group from Cape Point Lay, but their fatigue after a long passage through open water is thought to have caused the high mortality. This year, the number of walruses at the rookery was slightly more than 10 thousand individuals. In other years, scientists counted up to 100 thousand animals.
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia

Curious Polar Bear Frightens Residents of Chukotka Village
A polar bear wandered into the village of Uelen in Chukotka, Russia, causing alarm among residents who quickly took shelter. Bear patrol workers were able to safely drive the bear away without incident. Local residents note that polar bears have visited more often this year than last year. Taking this case into account, patrol volunteers have chased away the polar predators 6 times.
Uelen, Chukotka, Russia
Prochukotku

Humpback whale spotted in Irish river for the first time
A humpback whale has been spotted in the Shannon Estuary for the first time, prompting authorities to ask ships to reduce speed to prevent potential collisions. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group is monitoring the whale's unprecedented presence.
Shannon Estuary, Ireland
The Irish Times

Endangered whales found entangled in rope off Massachusetts, and 1 is likely to die
Two endangered North Atlantic right whales were found entangled in fishing gear off the coast of Massachusetts, posing a potentially fatal threat to one juvenile whale.
Massachusetts, United States
Press Herald

Mass whale stranding: Seven more die on beach after Golden Bay, Tasman restranding
Seven more pilot whales died after becoming re-stranded at Golden Bay, Tasman, following their initial rescue. Six perished naturally, while one was euthanised due to poor condition.
Golden Bay, Tasman, New Zealand
NZ Herald

Mama orca and her kids go 'grocery shopping' near downtown Vancouver
A family of killer whales was spotted near downtown Vancouver in a rare sighting likely linked to hunting for seals.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Yukon News

What killed a harbor seal found headless at Letnikof Cove? It's a mystery, federal scientists say.
A headless harbor seal was discovered at Letnikof Cove, raising questions as scientists from NOAA investigate the cause of death and post-mortem scavenging.
Letnikof Cove, Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

'Stunning' 47-foot fin whale washes ashore near Anchorage's Westchester Lagoon
A 47-foot fin whale washed ashore near Anchorage's Westchester Lagoon. Biologists believe it is a young female and are investigating the cause of its beaching.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Orcas spotted in Penn Cove for the first time in over five decades
The Orca Conservancy said the sightings made history. Some whale watchers hope it will again raise awareness of the need to protect them.
Oak Harbor, Washington, United States

Orcas revive 'dead salmon hat' trend from the 1980s
Researchers in Washington reported observing orcas in Puget Sound balancing salmon on their heads, a behavior not seen in decades.
Puget Sound, Washington, United States
Vancouver Sun

New kind of plant on the beach
A new plant species is establishing itself in the area and impacting native beach greens.
Aleksandrovsk, Alaska, United States

Dead Sea Otters
No obvious cause of death for this adult and juvenile otter.
McDonald Spit, Alaska, United States
Kris Holderied, Stephen Payton, Barbara Mahoney, Mike Brubaker

Orcas challenge the Bering Sea’s black cod industry
Orcas are starting to show new feeding behaviors around large trawler nets. They’re trying to steal fish caught in nets that are typically being hauled back. Scientists aren’t sure why orcas are doing this, but it’s dangerous for them because it increases their chances of getting caught in the net and dying.The problem is so bad that some fishermen have decided to skip fishing for black cod this year.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Another whale swims close to Reynisfjara
RÚV received a video this week that shows a whale just off the beach at Reynisfjara; the second time in about a week. Guðjón Már Sigurðsson, marine biologist and cetacean expert at the Icelandic Marine Research Institute, says the whale swims shallow in a search for food.
Vik, South, Iceland
RÚV

Toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning blamed for Alaska seal deaths
A die-off last year at St. Paul Island, the first compelling case of fatal saxitoxin poisoning in marine mammals, comes as more harmful algae is found farther north
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Harmful Algal Blooms Linked to Deaths of Northern Fur Seals in the Southeast Bering Sea
Testing confirmed widespread exposure of saxitoxin in marine mammals and other wildlife. In the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from 10 dead northern fur seals and hundreds of dead, mostly benthic, fish that washed ashore on a popular beachcombing beach on St. Paul Island in August 2024.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States
NOAA

Employee killed by polar bears at remote worksite off Baffin Island, company says
A worker with a logistics company that operates the North Warning System in Nunavut has died after being attacked by two polar bears on Thursday.
Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

The first case of a walrus dying of bird flu registered on Svalbard
“Last year we got several reports from tourists and scientists that they saw around six walruses dead here on the west side of Svalbard. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sample them as the dead walruses drifted away by the time we got to the place. But it’s not normal to get so many reported dead walruses in such a small area," said Christian Lydersen, senior scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Now samples (collected by a Station Manager in July 2023) have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Independent Barents Observer

Another polar bear shot in Ittoqqortoormiit
A polar bear was shot in Ittoqqortoormiit after being spotted wandering the streets, marking the second such incident in the town within a week.
Ittoqqortoormiit, Sermersooq, Greenland
Sermitsiaq

Extremely rare beaked whale washes ashore in Otago
An extremely rare Spade-toothed Beaked Whale *Mesoplodon traversii* washed ashore in Otago, providing the first chance to dissect and study such a specimen, with DNA analysis underway to confirm its species.
Wellington, New Zealand
NZ Herald

At least 65 pilot whales die in Scottish mass stranding
At least 65 long-finned pilot whales have died after being stranded on an island off the north coast of Scotland, a rescue charity said on Thursday, in one of the largest mass strandings in Britain in recent times.
Scotland, United Kingdom
CTVNews

2 more seals admitted to SeaLife Center
Two harbor seal pups, one from Naknek and another from Wrangell, were recently rescued and are receiving care at the Alaska SeaLife Center due to malnourishment and other health issues.
Homer, Alaska, United States
Homer News

Humpback Whale Rescued Near Russia’s Murmansk Region
A humpback whale named Stanislav was successfully freed from a fishing net in a first-of-its-kind rescue operation in Russia's Barents Sea.
Murmansk, Murmansk, Russia
The Moscow Times

2nd seal pup rescued in Kenai, ASLC now caring for 4
A second seal pup has been rescued on Kenai Beach, marking the fourth such case for the Alaska SeaLife Center's Wildlife Response Program.
Kenai, Alaska, United States
Homer News

Sea Gull Numbers are Extremely Low
Observers in Port Heiden, Alaska report significantly reduced sea gull populations and fewer gull eggs for subsistence, coinciding with decreased seal numbers and increased fox populations.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Jaime Welfelt, Robb Kaler, Jaclyn Christensen

Narwhals deemed ‘not at risk’ by wildlife committee
While the population increased, the assessment did find that narwhals are sensitive to sound from boats and move away from boat traffic, Mike Hammill, the co-chair of COSEWIC’s marine mammals subcommittee, told Nunatsiaq News. Previously the species was listed as being of “special concern.”
Nunavut, Canada
Nunatsiaq News

Risso's dolphins observed near Hoonah
A small pod of Risso's dolphins, typically found in deeper mid-temperate and tropical oceans waters, was spotted near Hoonah and Juneau, Alaska.
Hoonah, Alaska, United States
Bruce Wright, Michelle Dutro, Barbara Mahoney, Barb Lake

Walrus in Kachemak Bay
A Kachemak Bay water taxi crew had a once-in-a-lifetime walrus sighting.
Homer, Alaska, United States
Facebook

Close encounters with curious Juneau killer whale a reminder of city's wild nature
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.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

For one Utqiaġvik family, spring bowhead whaling marks an important milestone
The article describes a Utqiagvik family's significant milestone in catching the first bowhead whale of the spring season, amidst challenges posed by climate change affecting sea ice stability.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Possible bowhead whale sighting in Sitka Sound raises questions
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.
Sitka, Alaska, United States
KCAW

NOAA responds to entangled whale in Unalaska's Iliuliuk Bay
Authorities are gathering images and information to coordinate helping an entangled humpback in Unalaska’s Iliuliuk Bay.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States

The Hope Dog Sled Race Attracts a Polar Bear to Uelen
A polar bear was drawn to the Hope Dog Sled Race in Chukotka, Russia, an unusual event for the area. It is the third recent visit of a bear to the village. In size and build, the polar predator is similar to the same bear thatdisturbedlocal residents on the night of March 28.
Uelen, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia
Prochukotku

Cuvier’s beaked whale found dead on Kodiak Island
A healthy Cuvier's beaked whale, typically a deep-sea dweller, was found dead on Kodiak Island with no clear cause of death.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
KMXT - Kodiak

No other polar bears in Kuujjuaq after Tuesday’s incident, police say
Police confirm no further polar bear sightings in Kuujjuaq following the shooting of a young bear in the town center, with ongoing vigilance for potential wildlife threats.
Kuujjuaq, Quebec, Canada
Nunatsiaq News

Rare whale found dead off Massachusetts may have been entangled, authorities say
A juvenile North Atlantic right whale, a species nearing extinction, was found dead off Massachusetts, with signs of entanglement in fishing gear.
Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, United States
CTVNews

Stranded whale dies at Christchurch beach
A juvenile fin whale stranded at Moncks Bay in Christchurch, New Zealand, has died, with recovery operations underway. Last Sunday, a pod of false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins were euthanised after becoming stranded twice on a reef near Māhia.
Akaroa, Canterbury, New Zealand
NZ Herald

DOC warning after mass stranding deaths
A pod of about 45 false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins stranded on Sunday afternoon at Taylor’s Bay on Mahia Peninsula.The Department of Conservation is warning water-goers to be cautious near Mahia peninsula as the remains of stranded whales and dolphins may attract sharks.
Bahia Peninsula
Otago Daily Times Online News

Orcas are flocking to Southern California waters. One bloody, awe-inspiring spectacle shows why
Whales native to Mexico and Central America are spotted dozens of times from Long Beach to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Laguna Beach over the last three weeks.
Long Beach, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Rare fin whale found dead near Kodiak
A rare, emaciated fin whale was found dead near Kodiak, Alaska, with the local Sun'aq Tribe conducting a necropsy. There isn’t enough data for biologists to declare a trend yet, but these whales are being found on the heels of an unusual mortality event for gray whales in the Pacific Ocean.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

52-foot-long dead fin whale washes up on San Diego beach; cause of death unclear
It is not common to see fin whales stranding along the West Coast. The species tends to stay in deeper water compared with gray whales, which travel from 10,000 to 14,000 miles (16,000 to 22,500 kilometers) round trip up and down the coast in annual migrations. There were not obvious signs of the cause of death.
San Diego, California, United States
vancouversun

52-foot-long dead fin whale washes up on San Diego beach; cause of death unclear
A 52-foot fin whale carcass appeared on a San Diego beach with no clear cause of death; it was towed back to sea.
San Diego, California, United States
Associated Press

Mass deaths of elephant seals recorded as bird flu sweeps across the Antarctic
The virus was first reported among brown skua on Bird Island, off South Georgia. Since then, researchers and observers have reported mass deaths of elephant seals, as well as increased deaths of fur seals, kelp gulls and brown skua at several other sites. Researchers warn of one of ‘largest ecological disasters of modern times’ if the highly contagious disease reaches penguin colonies.
South Georgia, Sandwich Islands
the Guardian

A whale the size of an airplane was harvested by hunters in the Chukotka
The Lorino community caught the first bowhead whale in five years.To pull the giant over 17 meters long ashore, all the heavy equipment of the village was needed. According to hunters, this is the third “greenlander” caught in the entire history of the community.
Lorino, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

How Alaska wildlife officials saved a humpback whale found 'hogtied' to a 300-pound crab pot
Alaska wildlife officials collaborated with whale experts to successfully rescue a humpback whale that was entangled in crabbing gear off the coast of Gustavus, Alaska, preventing it from dying.
Gustavus, Alaska, United States

Humpback found dead near Kodiak gets Alaska's first 2023 whale necropsy
A humpback whale found dead near Kodiak Island in Alaska undergoes the state's first whale necropsy of 2023 in an effort to determine the cause of death and understand the shrinking humpback population in the area, with initial findings suggesting the whale may have been struck by a boat.

Avian influenza death of Alaska polar bear is a global first and a sign of the virus' persistence
The highly pathogenic influenza that just claimed its first known polar bear victim continues to circulate in the world’s wild populations.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
Alaska Beacon

Four dead seals on beach
Four dead seals have washed up on a beach in Trinidad, California, with locals noting an unusual occurrence as they have not seen this many washed up at once in recent years.
Trinidad, California, United States

Local Animal Rescue Group Sees Influx of Sea Lions Suffering From Potentially Fatal Bacteria Infection
A local animal rescue in Northern California warns of a surge in sea lions with a potentially fatal bacterial infection, leptospirosis, and advises dog owners to keep pets away.
Northern California, United States
Lost Coast Outpost

H5 avian influenza detected for the first time in elephant seals
NewsDesk @bactiman63 The National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa)  confirmed new cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5 detected in marine mammals in Comodoro Rivadavia, Rada Tilly and Punta Tombo, Chubut. The agency’s National Laboratory diagnosed new samples positive for the disease, which were taken from sea lions and elephant seals found dead in the aforementioned places. Based on notification, […]
Comodoro Rivadavia, Chubut Province, Argentina
Outbreak News Today

‘Unusual’ number of dead sea lions show up on Sonoma County beach
The sea lions vary in decomposition. Several had their bones exposed Monday afternoon.
Bodega Bay, California, United States
Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Dead humpback whale calf washes up near Juneau, may have been struck by vessel
A dead humpback whale calf named Tango was found washed up near Juneau, Alaska, and an investigation is underway to determine if it was struck by a vessel.
Juneau, Alaska, United States

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Found in Seals on Marrowstone Island in Puget Sound
Three adult harbor seals in Puget Sound have tested positive for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 strain, marking the first incidence of HPAI in marine mammals on the West Coast, and officials are urging beachgoers to avoid contact with wildlife.
Marrowstone, Washington, United States
NOAA

Mystery mass death of seals on remote, uninhabited Siberian island under investigation
Tyuleniy Island, also known as the ‘Island of the Seals,’ is located in the Sea of Okhotsk and is an important breeding ground for northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). More than 300 northern fur seals and Steller sea lions have been found dead in a mystery mass die-off on a small, uninhabited island in Siberia.
Tyuleny Island
TodayHeadline

Beluga Whale Spotted in The Yukon River Near Tanana
The marine mammal was seen some 600 miles from where the river empties into the Bering Sea.
Tanana, Alaska, United States
Verena Gill, Barbara Mahoney, Rodney Evans

NOAA seeks public’s help on Steller sea lion killings in Copper River Delta
Biologists with NOAA Fisheries Alaska region have been conducting survey work in the area since mid-May and have so far found 22 Steller sea lions and one harbor seal dead. Necropsies performed on the animals have shown gunshot wounds and other human interactions as the cause.
Cordova, Alaska, United States

Baby walrus, rescued from Arctic tundra, receives 24-hour cuddle care at Alaska SeaLife Center
A wayward walrus calf, just one month old, was rescued from the North Slope. Workers on the North Slope spotted the baby walrus on tundra, about four miles inland from the Beaufort Sea.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Dead beluga whales and walruses washed ashore in the estuary near the capital of Chukotka
Dead beluga whales and walruses have been found washed ashore in the estuary near the capital of Chukotka, with the cause of death currently unknown.
Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Walrus Follows Man to Work in Iceland
A man biking to work in Iceland this morning was unexpectedly accompanied by a walrus on his commute. Walruses are not native to Iceland.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
Iceland Review

Beluga whale Hvaldimir visiting Helgeroa
Boaters in Skolebukta outside Larvik opened their eyes when they were visited by the famous beluga whale. The marine biologist fears the whale's journey could soon be over for good.
Larvik, Vestfold, Norway
NRK

'There's something down there': British sailor's boat attacked by apex predator
Greg Blackburn's boat was being tossed around by "heavy weather" in a notorious stretch of water. Two large orcas, otherwise known as killer whales, were responsible for the ramming but Blackburn said four more would join in - causing extensive damage to the boat. ﻿﻿
Tangier, Tanger-Tétouan, Morocco

Stray dogs drove a polar bear away from Whalen
On Sunday, April 16, a young polar bear was spotted in the village of Uelen, Chukotka region. The polar predator came to the smell of walrus meat, which was fed to dogs.
Uelen, Chukotka, Russia
Prochukotku

First birds, now mammals: how H5N1 is killing thousands of sea lions in Peru
Avian flu has decimated the marine creatures on the country’s Pacific coastline and scientists fear it could be jumping from mammal to mammal
Peru
the Guardian

White bear stole walrus meat from residents of the Chukotka village Uelen
A polar bear was seen in Uelen after stealing walrus meat from local residents, prompting caution as the animal roamed the village during its migration season.
Uelen, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia
ProChukotku

Community heartbroken after attempts to save stranded whales prove in vain
A massive rescue effort took place on Tuesday afternoon that lasted until sunset after five whales were discovered marooned on the shores of the west coast beach. The whales were discovered dead the morning after massive efforts by locals to save them.
Ahipara, Northland Region, New Zealand

Alaska SeaLife Center admits first fur seal patient in 6 years
The female seal pup — estimated to be around six months old — was seen swimming “erratically” near the shore in Sitka last month, according to a press release from the center. Worried Sitka residents then reported the pup to the center’s 24-hour stranding hotline.
Seward, Alaska, United States

Whale washed ashore in Kauai dies with fishing nets and plastic bags in stomach
A whale that washed ashore in the island of Kauai over the weekend likely died in part because it ate large volumes of fishing traps, fishing nets, plastic bags and other marine debris, scientists said Thursday, highlighting the threat to wildlife from the millions of tons of plastic that ends up in oceans every year.
Hanamā‘ulu, Hawaii, United States
mauinews.com

Polar bear fatally mauls woman and boy in Northwest Alaska village
A Wales resident shot and killed the bear. With the loss of sea ice and the ocean staying open later in the year, polar bears have been spending more time on land, which increases the chance of human encounters.
Wales, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Record-breaking numbers of whales were spotted off Victoria’s coast in 2022
In 2022, a record number of Bigg’s killer whales (orcas) and humpback whales were spotted in the waters surrounding Victoria as well as south along Washington’s border.
Salish Sea
Victoria Buzz

Orca stranding on Florida beach is first on record in U.S. Southeast
For the first time ever recorded, orca washes ashore in Florida.
Palm Coast, Florida, United States

Highly endangered Saimaa ringed seal pup found dead in fishing net
There was a slight rise in population numbers of the very rare animals last year.
Savonlinna, Southern Savonia, Finland
News

Minke whale pod sighted
A rare sighting is possible indicator of prey abundance.
Kasaan, Alaska, United States

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

Harbor seal with patchy fur
Harbor seal looking sick with patches of fur missing.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Bryan Reed, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Barbara Mahoney, Jaclyn Christensen, Kimberlee Beckmen, Gay Sheffield, Gabe Dunham

New peril for gray whale survival? Predatory orcas spotted in Baja calving lagoon
One pod showed up in January and was videotaped fatally attacking two resident bottle-nosed dolphins. They may have also killed a gray whale calf, although a body was never found. Predatory orcas have breached a gray whale safe space in Baja California. Could this spell disaster for a species already struggling for survival?
Campo Pachico, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Los Angeles Times

Sea otter lunch for bald eagle
Two dead otters (one recent) on Kasitsna Bay side. We also found another one yesterday on the Kachemak side.
McDonald Spit, Alaska, United States
Angela Doroff, Michael Opheim , Barbara Mahoney, Rose Masui, Mike Brubaker, Kris Holderied, Stephen Payton

Dead sea otter
Walked two miles of spit and did not see any others.
Seldovia Village, Alaska, United States
Barbara Mahoney, Stephen Payton, Mike Brubaker, Michael Opheim , Kris Holderied

Unregulated ships cruise over speed agreements
“Our shipping monitors clocked another cruise ship going at excessive speed near Pond Inlet,” posted Baffinland Iron Mines on their Twitter account Sept. 22. While the maximum speed was agreed at nine knots in some passages used by the cruise ships, one ship in particular, The Hanseatic from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, was clocked at almost 16 knots, nearly twice the velocity. It’s the second time this month the cruise line has been clocked in excess of the speed limit agreement.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
NUNAVUT NEWS
Felix Charron-Leclerc - Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Akureyri bottlenose whale found dead
The death of one of the bottlenose whales that have been entertaining residents and visitors in Akureyri was confirmed this weekend.
Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland
RÚV

Polar bear shot dead after attacking tourist on Svalbard
A French woman is hospitalized and a polar bear is dead after the bear attacked the woman on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago Svalbard Monday morning. The woman, who was wounded in the arm by the attacking polar bear, was one of 25 people staying at a tent camp in Nordfjorden on the northern shores of Isfjorden.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
ArcticToday

Dolphin Species Never Before Seen in Iceland Beaches in Northwest
Two Risso’s dolphins washed ashore in Hrútafjörður in Northwest Iceland last week. Risso dolphins are a warm-water species found a bit to the east of Ireland and Northwest Scotland. But the largest number is found further south, in warmer seas.
Hrútafjörður, Iceland
Iceland Review

A polar bear in Russia is rescued after getting its tongue stuck in a milk can
In a report this week, a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists warned that hungry polar bears are increasingly turning to garbage dumps to fill their stomachs as their icy habitat disappears due to climate change.
Dikson, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
ArcticToday

Belugas spotted swimming in Lake Aleknagik
Sherol Mershon runs the Silver Fin Bed and Breakfast, on the shore of Lake Aleknagik. She’s hung fishing nets for 45 years and has seen her fair share of wildlife. So when her guests told her they saw whales in the lake, she had her doubts.
Aleknagik, Alaska, United States
KDLG

Visiting walrus causes stir in southern Finland town
Harju said that due to its long tusks, she guessed that it was an older walrus, adding that the animal was calm during the hour that she watched it lay on the beach.
Hamina, Kymenlaakso, Finland
News

High number of seal deaths linked to bird flu, feds say
The rate of dead seal strandings in Maine is about three times the normal rate for the summer and is close to 60. Most of the seals that have been stranded this summer have been found dead, NOAA said. The dead seals have included gray seals and harbor seals.
Portland, Maine, United States
Press Herald

Fears of bird flu in colony on Hornøya in Finnmark with critically endangered seabird
Endangered guillemots sit tightly in the bird cliff. Infection of bird flu can pass through the colony quickly, fear scientists, who have found several dead birds in recent days. The finds on Hornøya join the series of observations along the coast. There are constantly new reports of sea otters in particular being found in Western Norway. There are also reports of sick gulls and sea eagles along the entire coast up to East Finnmark.
Hornøy Island, Vardø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway

Beluga whales swam up the Kuskokwim River to Bethel and scientists want samples of them
In an unusual event, a pair of beluga whales swam about 60 miles up the Kuskokwim River to Bethel. After word got out, boaters pursued the belugas and took at least one of them. Now, an official is working to collect samples of the animal to better understand where it came from.
Bethel, Alaska, United States

With less sea ice, expect seal pups near shore
On Sunday night, a plump ringed seal pup was spotted on the ice in front of Breaker’s Bar on Nome’s Front Street. UAF Alaska Sea Grant agent Gay Sheffield was called and moved the pup to a more secluded beach. The ice had likely gone out too fast and the mother finished up the normal weaning process on the ice chunks in front of Nome.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Strange fish caught in Togiak Bay area
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.
Togiak, Alaska, United States
Heidi Kritz, Gabe Dunham, Jayde Ferguson

Dead whale by King Cove
There was a dead whale out in the bay by King Cove. Then couple locals pulled the whale into town.
King Cove, Alaska, United States

'We have NEVER documented this before': Tofino tourism operator witnesses killer whales attacking humpback
As the group approached, there was a lot of splashing and porpoising. It was determined that the pod of whales was attacking a juvenile humpback whale.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

The polar bear was driven away from the village in the Chukotka district
On Wednesday morning, March 2, marine hunters of the community "Daurkin" found a polar bear 1.5 kilometers from the village of Laurentia on the ice of the bay. The animal was driven away from the village towards the sea. Two weeks previously, 11 polar predators were spotted near the village of Neshkan.
Lavrentiya, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

A polar bear attacked a resident of the Chukchi village of Neshkan near the carcass of a whale
A man injured by a polar bear was transported by helicopter to the Chukotka regional hospital from the village of Neshkan. The incident happened near the village. The predator attacked a man near the carcass of a whale that died last fall, Chukotka news agency reports.
Нешкан, Чукотский район, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia

Whale’s body spotted near Tenakee Inlet
The humpback whale was first reported dead or stranded on Killisnoo Island on Feb. 10th, by Alaska Marine Highway System personnel, said Sadie Wright, a large whale entanglement response coordinator with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division. The animal with a long history in the area has been necropsied.
Juneau Empire

Red Book’s Steller Sea lion rescued from a plastic death trap in Russian Far East
The endangered mammal got tied up to the Nevelsk breakwater from debris and rope that it got caught in.
Nevel’sk, Sakhalin, Russia
The Siberian Times

Bowhead pod visits Savoonga with ice conditions unsuitable for hunting
Earlier this week, a pod of about nine Bowhead whales were seen off the northern coast of Savoonga but young ice conditions around St. Lawrence Island prevented hunting. If local hunters hauled a whale out onto young ice, it would break apart.
Savoonga, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Polar bear with cub visits Diomede School
John Ahkvaluk , 56, a polar bear guard revealed that this is not a good sign for the village. It’s the first time in several years that bears come at this time of the year. “It’s a warning that they got no food out there and they came looking for it here,” he said.
After the incident, Luchie Manlangit, the school principal, and I invited John Ahkvaluk to talk to the kids and to share some protocols if polar bear will come around again.
Diomede, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Here winter has become two months shorter
Winter will never be the way it was, according to scientists. Towards the end of the century, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute predicts that the winter weather will gradually disappear from Oslo.
Bodø, Nordland, Norway

Rare clash between two distinct kinds of orcas in the Salish Sea — and the endangered fish-eaters won
Two distinct species of orcas feed and socialize in the waters of Puget Sound: fish-eating endangered southern resident killer whales and transient, or Bigg’s, killer whales, which feed on marine mammals and are more common. They seldom mix.
Point Roberts, Washington, United States
KNKX Public Radio

Rare beluga whale sighting in Puget Sound stirs excitement — and concern
It would be an obscure sighting of the species. The closest beluga population, which lives at least 1,400 miles away in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, is endangered and covered under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Cross Cut

Where's Wally? The wandering celebrity walrus is spotted in Iceland
Wally, the walrus who has found fame during his travels round Europe, has been spotted in Iceland more than 900 kilometers from his last known location, He was previously seen 22 days ago in West Cork, Ireland, sparking concerns for his safety.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
ArcticToday

Trichinella advisory issued for Coral Harbour
Nunavut's Department of Health is warning Coral Harbour residents that trichinella has been detected in a walrus that was harvested on Aug. 21.
Coral Harbour, Nunavut, Canada
Nunatsiaq News

In August, scientists saw rare right whales twice in Alaska waters
Biologist Jessica Crance witnessed both sightings personally, and is among a handful of living people who have seen one of this population of right whales up close since the species was devastated by commercial whaling.
Barnabas Trough

Whale feeding frenzy off NSW south coast
A mega-pod of more than 100 humpback whales have been spotted in a feeding frenzy off the NSW south coast.The aquatic mammals often pass through Bermagui with their young on their long journey back to Antarctica from the warmer northern waters. The whales were seen working together to catch a large school of bait fish. It's only the second time the spectacle has been caught on film - after a mega-pod was witnessed feeding at the same spot last year.
Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia
dailytelegraph

'It was a special day': Transient orcas set sightings record as population thrives on B.C. coast
Nearly 30 transient orcas were spotted in the Salish Sea around British Columbia and Washington state over the Labor Day weekend, a positive sign for the species, according to local whale watchers and researchers.
Winslow, Washington, United States
Vancouver Island

Marine vomit spread along the western coast of Norway
A self-cloning and invincible enemy invades coastal areas. The carpet sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum) or “marine vomit” have been observed nearby Stavanger and Bergen. Large yellow flakes has spread on the seabed and kills everything beneath. It may grow on boats and can spread along the coast.
Engøysundet, Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
Josef Benoni Ness Tveit, Håkon Mannsåker

Five dolphins die in 'highly unusual stranding event'
The dolphins were part of a group of more than 50 that got into difficulty in the Cromarty Firth.
Invergordon, Scotland, United Kingdom
BBC News

Rare polar bear sighting causes a stir in Kotzebue
Locals in Kotzebue showed a mix of excitement and concern over the weekend in response to reports that a rare polar bear was spotted in the area.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Rare footage shows a polar bear hunt a swimming reindeer
Rare footage shot by a researcher expedition in Norway shows a polar bear hunting and catching a swimming adult reindeer. The video, captured by Mateusz Gruszka, a cook for an expedition of Polish researchers in August 2021 on the Svalbard archipelago, shows the bear catching the reindeer and drowning it before dragging it ashore.
Svalbard Archipelago

When polar bears hunt snow geese, hunger justifies the means
At this time of year, the geese are moulting — and therefore unable to fly — so they congregate near ponds to avoid the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), which is reluctant to jump into the water. But the bear was about to use a new hunting technique: he dove under the water, disappeared from the eyes of the geese who had stopped fleeing, and emerged from underneath one of them.
Bylot Island, Nunavut Canada
NNSL Media

Killer whale stranded on Prince of Wales Island frees itself
A killer whale that beached itself on Prince of Wales Island on Thursday has freed itself, according to federal biologists.
Craig, Alaska, United States

'Unprecedented' absence of southern resident killer whales from Salish Sea
The most common pod of southern resident killer whales who migrate to the Salish Sea during the summer have not been seen for than 100 days, marking a highly unusual absence from their historic summer hunting ground, according to researchers.
Salish Sea
Vancouver Island

Veterinarians of the village of Providence "resuscitated" the exhausted walrus
The female aroused interest among local residents. Specialists suggested that scars on its body could mean that it was attacked by an orca; the walrus hauled out a few days after a group of walruses had been trapped by orcas. After treatment, the walrus left the shore.
Provideniya, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia
Chukotka

'Unprecedented:' Rare sei whales spotted off Vancouver Island
Researchers on an expedition 300 kilometers west of Vancouver Island stumbled upon a group of 25-30 endangered sei whales.
300 kms West of Vancouver Island, Canada

Orca found dead after earlier stranding on island north of Auckland
The whale had earlier been spotted stranded.
Auckland, New Zealand

Gambell gets distemper outbreak under control
The community of Gambell fought a distemper outbreak among its dog population this spring and managed to squash the epidemic in its early onset. Distemper is a deadly disease that can afflict dogs and wildlife alike and also has been documented in the North Atlantic to jump from dogs to marine mammals like seals.
Gambell, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Beluga whale found dead south of Anchorage will help scientists better understand the endangered animals
The beluga had a ruptured intestine probably related to parasites, which were found in the whale’s abdomen, lungs and kidneys, Burek said. The parasites likely led to an entanglement within a section of the intestines, leading it to rupture. “Very unusual,” Burek said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Deceased gray whale washes ashore along Klipsan Beach
A long-deceased adult gray whale washed ashore near Klipsan Beach last week.
Klipsan Beach, Washington, United States
Chinook Observer

Blue whale beaches in Africa for the 'first time ever'
The 60 ft blue whale carcass drifted ashore near Walvis Bay, Namibia on Tuesday. Local authorities were alerted and are planning to move the body, which had several injuries.
Namibia
Mail Online

5th dead whale found in less than month near San Francisco Bay
The carcass of a 41-foot adult female gray whale landed at San Francisco’s Crissy Field on March 31. A second adult female was found April 3 at Moss Beach in San Mateo County. A third was found April 7 floating near the Berkeley Marina and the following day another at Muir Beach. A video of the fifth dead whale was posted on social media Friday.
San Francisco, California, United States
Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Melting Arctic ice reduces bowhead whale migration
Researchers in Canada find that population did not bother making the 6,000km roundtrip in 2018-2019
Bearing, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas
the Guardian

Four gray whales have been found dead in California's Bay Area within eight days
The carcasses of four gray whales have been found around the San Francisco Bay Area in eight days -- an alarming string of deaths that constitutes an unusual mortality event, defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a significant die-off of a marine species.
San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
CNN News

A gray whale carcass washed ashore at S.F.'s Crissy Field
A gray whale carcass washed ashore at Crissy Field on Wednesday morning. Veterinarians and biologists from the center and from the California Academy of Sciences plan to perform a necropsy in coming days on the island to determine the cause of death.
San Francisco, California, United States
San Francisco Chronicle

Nunavik health board warns of possible botulism exposure in Inukjuak
More than 27 people in Inukjuak may have been exposed to botulism after consuming contaminated walrus meat served at two recent feasts. The Nunavik regional health board made the announcement on its Facebook page on Saturday.
Inukjuak, Quebec, Canada

Arctic walrus spotted in Kerry reappears in Wales
Marine biologist and director of Dingle’s OceanWorld Aquarium, Kevin Flannery, told the Irish Times it is “very unusual” for a walrus to be spotted in this part of the world, although there have been potential sightings from surfers and fishermen in Ireland in the past.
Wales, England, United Kingdom
The Irish Times

Polar bear filmed running along road in Yakutia 460km south of its natural Arctic habitat
The racing predator was seen 60km south of Batagai, north-east from republic’s capital Yakutsk.
Батагай, Верхоянский район, Sakha, Russia
Siberian Times

Sitka team conducts first humpback whale necropsy in 5 years
The Coast Guard reported the dead 47-foot female humpback to NOAA on Sunday evening. It had washed ashore on the south end of Kruzof Island. The whale looked healthy and its belly was full of fish — most likely herring. But they did find some evidence of blunt trauma.
Sitka, Alaska, United States

Dead humpback whale washes ashore at Outer Banks
A dead humpback whale has washed ashore on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday that the 18-foot whale was found on Pea Island about half-mile north of Rodanthe.
Rodanthe, North Carolina, United States

Harp seal pups dying on beach as winter sea ice fails
A harp seal pup sits on a snow-covered beach near the town of Blanc-Sablon, Québec, in early March. Normally harp seals give birth and raise their pups on sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but this year’s ice coverage is at an all-time low, throwing pups’ survival into jeopardy.
Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Canada
National Geographic

Some Alaska seals are getting skinnier — probably because of retreating sea ice
As sea ice off Alaska continues its long-term vanishing trend, two seal species that depend on ice may be showing the effects in their bodies. Ribbon seals, distinctive for their black-and-white striped patterns on their fur, and spotted seals, known for their speckled coats, became thinner over time.
Nome, Alaska, United States

Gray Whale Dies After Washing Ashore on Dockweiler Beach
A roughly 25-foot gray whale washed ashore and died Wednesday on Dockweiler State Beach south of Marina Del Rey.
Marina del Rey, California, United States
NBC Los Angeles

From Greenland to Valentia: face to face with a king of the Arctic
A walk in the woods behind Glanleam beach on Valentia Island for local man Alan Houlihan and his daughther, Muireann (Mimi) (5) on Sunday morning took a rather unusual twist when the pair spotted a walrus out on the rocks, just off the beach.
Knightstown, Ireland
independent

Merritt Island park now a ‘manatee graveyard’ as Florida sea cows starve to death
Cold stress accounts for at least 39 of the deaths, or about 10%. For 277 others, almost 70%, the cause is unknown. Biologist suspect the sea cows are starving to death as the marine mammal’s main diet of seagrass wilts under ongoing years-long ecological collapse, driven by excess algae.
Merritt Island, Florida, United States
WKMG

Orca carcass at Hook Lagoon
An Orca (*Orcinus orca*) carcass has been found on a beach in Port Heiden near Hook Lagoon. Sightings of these whales are a bit rare compared to many other whale carcass sightings and we just wanted to share with you this observation.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States

Manatee Graveyard Found in Brevard as Mammals Die at Alarming Rate
The animals have been decaying on the isolated stretch of sand north of Manatee Cove Park
Rockledge, Florida, United States
Spectrum News

Rescuers monitor whale pod off New Zealand amid rebeaching fears
Rescuers were monitoring a pod of pilot whales swimming just off the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island late on Tuesday after more than a dozen of the group were killed in a mass stranding.
Takaka, Tasman, New Zealand
Reuters

Early humpback sighting
A humpback whale spotted off Bremer Bay late last week is believed to be the earliest sighting ever of the species on WA’s south coast. Humpback whales are usually spotted of WA's south coast in late March or early April. The whale's early appearance has prompted concerns from scientists about the lack of food stocks in Antarctica.
Bremer Submarine Canyon
ABC News

Lack of sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence means more seals on shore
Record-low levels of sea ice cover in the Gulf of St. Lawrence means a greater number of seals are coming on shore and are more likely to interact with humans.
Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, Canada
CBC

Reports of dead seals on coasts doubled in 2020, charity says
In 2020, Seal Rescue Ireland reported the highest number of strandings on record, 202 dead seal reports coming from all over the country. They think one contributing factor is climate change; an increase in the severity and frequency of storms is causing more deaths among pups, from drowning or storm related injuries.
Shanagarry, Munster, Ireland
TheJournal.ie

Bowhead whales appear to be on the rebound
The open ocean off Utqiagvik in fall and early winter is evidence of climate change. Remarkably, bowhead whales appear to be thriving, although there are new challenges. Kidney-worm infections have been detected in bowheads, possibly brought by other species of whales coming north. And then there are the killer whales, a natural predators of bowheads now venturing north.
The Arctic Sounder

More critically endangered right whale calves spotted off Florida coast
Two more calves have been spotted off the coast of Amelia Island in Florida, increasing the total number of calves seen this season to 11, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Fernandina Beach, Florida, United States
wbal.com

West Coast’s gray whale population plummets by a quarter since 2016: NOAA
Researchers say the population of gray whales off the West Coast of the United States has fallen by nearly one-quarter since 2016, resembling a similar die-off two decades ago.
KTLA

Rare melanistic seal pups caught on camera
Rare melanistic seals have been captured on camera in north Norfolk. Rangers have spotted 10 melanistic seal pups during the winter 2020-21 pupping season at Blakeney Point.
Wells-next-the-Sea, England, United Kingdom
Eastern Daily Press

Thousands of salmon lost in major seal attack
More than 50,000 juvenile fish were killed or escaped in the incident on Skye, says an industry body. The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) said predation attacks continued to have a significant impact on fish health and welfare.
Portree, Scotland, United Kingdom
BBC News

Orca pod returns to the Broughton Archipelago after more than 20 years
The A5 pod has returned to the Broughton Archipelago, their traditional winter hunting ground, with a brand new baby in tow.
Fife Sound, Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria News
Zoe Ducklow, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Killer whale rescued after getting stranded on remote Scottish beach
The BDMLR scrambled to help the orca with the help of locals in Orkney.
Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom
Metro

Sperm whale washes up in Ponte Vedra Beach
A dead 14-foot pygmy sperm whale washed ashore on Ponte Vedra Beach on Friday morning behind the Sawgrass Beach Club.
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States
WJXT

Reeking whale carcasses plaguing Withernsea with sickening smell
Given the rarity of similar incidents, the whales have attracted a large crowd since Christmas Eve. On Boxing Day, the Coastguard confirmed that patrols have been taking place to ensure the safety of the public in the days since the animals were stranded.
Withernsea, England, United Kingdom
HullLive

Stranded whale pod beaches in East Yorkshire
Up to 10 sperm whales have been stranded between Withernsea and Tunstall on the coast. Members of the coastguard and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) are on the beach, between Tunstall and Withernsea, near Hull.
Withernsea, England, United Kingdom
BBC News

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

Polar bears leave the Chukchi village of Rrykaipi
As of December 18, only 3 polar bears remained. The polar bears had gathered near the village when a strong southern wind moved ice away from the shore, leaving the animals to move by shore to Kozhevnkov Cape, where the predators eat walrus remains.

Young whale with broken jaw washed up on Belgian beach
A dead minke whale with a broken jaw washed up on a Belgian beach on Friday.
Bredene, Flanders, Belgium
The Brussels Times

Researchers think they spotted new whale species off Mexico
Scientists are waiting for water samples analysis that could hold skin cells for possible DNA testing. . Read more at straitstimes.com.
San Benito Islands
The Straits Times

Seal hunters come across frozen beached bowhead whale
A family out seal hunting in Nunavut came across a very rare sight when they happened upon a full-size, beached, frozen bowhead whale, along with plenty of polar bear tracks nearby. "That was a very, very amazing sight. Its my first time to see a bowhead," said Panigayak.
Taloyoak, Nunavut, Canada

Nearly 100 whales die in mass stranding in New Zealand
Nearly 100 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand's Department of Conservation said Wednesday.
Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand
CNN

England's largest grey seal colony set to welcome record 4,000 new pups
England's largest grey seal colony is expected to see a record baby boom of 4,000 new arrivals this year. The seals thrived on the low levels of disturbance and mortality of the pups in the first few weeks of life, and a lack of natural predators on the long shingle spit where they have their young.
Wells-next-the-Sea, England, United Kingdom
Evening Express

Emaciated fin whales wash up dead on French shores
Marine biologists are investigating the deaths of at least six whales found washed up on Frances western shores with no apparent sign of having been hit by a ship or caught in a trawler's net.
Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, Pays de la Loire, France
Reuters

New evidence suggests spate of Killer Whale-on-boat violence not tied to revenge but to fun
It was first reported, here, two months ago, that a pod of Killer Whales off the coasts of Spain and New Spain (i.e. Portugal) was exhibiting never-before-seen behavior in carrying out coordinated attacks on boats.
BeachGrit

Humpback whales have been spotted in an Australian river
East Alligator River is full of crocodiles, not alligators, and now humpback whales. If it came to a fight, who would win?
Kakadu National Park.
Stuff

Russian scientists discover huge walrus haulout in Arctic circle
Scientists in northern Russia have discovered a huge walrus haulout on the shores of the Kara Sea where their habitat is under threat from shrinking ice and human activity. The haulout, a place of refuge where walruses congregate, reproduce, and socialise, is located in a remote corner of Russia's Yamal peninsula, and scientists say they counted over 3,000 animals there last month.
Kara Sea
Reuters

Dead humpback whale floating in waters off Cape May County
The whale has likely been dead for several days.
Sea Isle City, New Jersey, United States
nj

Mysterious Mass Deaths of African Cape Fur Seals Alarm Conservationists
The beaches of Namibia have been filled with thousands of seal fetuses. The problem was first detected in August, when observers began to see an unusual number of abortions and prematurely killed pups on the beaches of Pelican Point. Current estimates indicate about 5,000 have died in Pelican Point alone, although the precise reasons are still unknown.
Walvis Bay, Erongo, Namibia
Latin America Herald Tribune

Deep-diving whale dies after swimming up river
Finding the deep-diving species so far inland was incredible. Rescuers made a sterling effort to save the 21ft-long animal found in a tributary of the River Clyde near Glasgow Airport. Two died after stranding on shores of the Firth of Clyde and another in the Western Isles.
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Whale in Gare Loch rescue attempt found dead
The animal was part of a pod which rescuers hoped would swim to deeper water before a major military exercise.
Rosneath, Scotland, United Kingdom

Scientists found plastic debris in the digestive track of southern right whale stranded in Argentina
Scientists found plastic debris in the digestive tract of a southern right whale stranded in Argentina, according to a study from the Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program, co-led by the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine; and Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas in Argentina.
Puerto Madryn, Chubut Province, Argentina
MercoPress

Ten polar bears - six adults and four cubs - besiege a stalled rubbish truck in Russian Arctic
Fellow driver tries to scare the predators away as they climb inside the truck to reach food scraps. All predators look healthy and well fed, however the author of the video suggests that it could have been hunger that made them surround the truck.
Siberian Times

Beluga Family Rescued From Low Tide by Russian Emergency Worker
Residents of the coastal Chumikan village reported two adult whales and one baby on Wednesday afternoon, on a shore of the Uda River that flows into the sea. Alexei Paramonov spent hours protecting the pod from wild animals and poachers and saved the baby whale from hypothermia.
Chumikan, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

Beached bowhead whales in Nunavut point to killer whale attacks
This past weekend a group of hunters on all-terrain vehicles found four dead bowhead whales lying on a beach about 60 kilometres north of the Nunavut community of Kugaaruk. Photos of the bowhead whales taken by Rene Kukkuvak, appear to have a torn tongues and rake-like gouges.
Kugaaruk, Nunavut, Canada

Lone Scottish dolphin spotted off Denmark
The Moray Firth dolphins have been moving out of their normal range in Scotland waters. A dolphin known as Yoda is the latest member to be spotted far from home. Another Moray Firth dolphin has been seen in the Irish Sea.
Svendborg, South Denmark, Denmark

Eco disaster at Kamchatka peninsula with mass death of sea animals at precious Pacific beach
Khalaktyrsky Beach near Petropavlovsk is littered with hundreds of dead sea animals, from deep-sea Giant Pacific octopuses, to seals, sea urchins, stars, crabs and fish. Surfers were the first to raise alarm after problems with eyesight, fevers and throat aches.
Khalaktyrsky Beach
Siberian Times

Rare ‘Ugly Duckling’ Albino Seal Pup in Far East Russia Wins Hearts
Scientists worry for the pup's survival. Due to the pup’s albinism, it not only has bad eyesight, but could also be ostracized by the colony due to its unique characteristics.
Tyuleny Island

A pair of stranded killer whales (and a sick sea lion) has biologists looking for answers
“For the killer whales, I honestly don’t know if this is normal or not,” said Mandy Keogh, the Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries in Alaska. Dead killer whales simply aren’t seen that often.
Sitka, Alaska, United States

Polar bear kills man in Norway's Arctic Svalbard islands
The man, identified as 38-year-old Dutch citizen was attacked in his tent before dawn and died shortly afterwards of his injuries. Svalbard officials say there were seven people on the site at the time and they are being looked after by health services.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Dead whales wash up near Unalaska, but pandemic complicates necropsies
Two dead whales have washed up on Unalaska's shores in the past week: an adult fin whale — which is the second largest mammal in the world — and a juvenile humpback.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States

Dead beluga calf poses questions for biologists
It is thought to be either an aborted fetus or a very young calf. The calf is one of six belugas that have been found dead this year, five in the last month.
Juneau Empire

Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka
It is still not clear if the family was brought so close to people by hunger as most locals believe or, as one account suggests, out of fear of being followed by an aggressive large male.
Pevek, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia
Siberia Times

Six whales die in largest stranding of its type in Ireland's history
The seven northern bottlenose dolphins were spotted stranded on a beach in Rossnowlagh, County Donegal, on the north west coast of Ireland, earlier today.
Ballintra, Ulster, Ireland
Mail Online

Dead Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Floating by Moller Point
Between 2015 and 2020, two Unusual Mortality Events have been declared for wales along the western coast of British Colombia and the United States, indicating the possibility of a disturbance to the marine ecosystem.
King Cove Alaska

Saving Our Seals - 28 sea mammals rescued after becoming trapped in plastic junk
This was a first expedition by volunteers and activists to rescue seals trapped in plastic rubbish on the island, a breeding ground in the Sea of Okhotsk, off Sakhalin.
Siberia Times

U.S. officials allow killing of sea lions eating at-risk salmon and steelhead in Columbia River watershed
The sea lions have posed a long-running conundrum for wildlife officials, pitting mammals protected under federal law against protected — and valuable — fish runs.
Portland, Oregon, United States

Biologists hope dead sea lion will provide insight into endangered Aleutian population
Officials have been receiving reports of Steller sea lions hauling out on beaches in poor condition, but have been unable to retrieve the animals for research — largely because they are in remote areas.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States

Pacific walrus haulout is earliest on record
The Arctic Sounder - Serving the Northwest Arctic and the North Slope
Point Lay, Alaska, United States
Arctic Sounder

Rare white orca spotted off Kupreanof Island
This orca born in 2018 is called Tl’uk, a Coast Salish word for “moon.” Tl’uk is a greyish moon color, without the typical black and white pattern.
Petersburg, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Dead Seal On The Beach
King Cove Alaska

Is this Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Sick?
"It's been sitting up on the beach just putting his head up towards the sky and not making a sound."
King Cove

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

Dead Baby Sea Otter (Enhydra Lutris)
First time we have ever seen a dead pup.

Beluga off San Diego is farthest south the species has been documented on West Coast
A beluga whale was spotted Friday off San Diego -- the farthest south the species has been documented on the West Coast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed.
Point Loma, Coronado, California, United States
FOX 5 San Diego

Alaska SeaLife Center takes on 6 rescued harbor seal pups
The Seward facility began housing five seals found in the Cook Inlet area and another that was rescued in Juneau.
Seward, Alaska, United States

Walrus tongue tests positive for trichinella in Rankin Inlet
A public health advisory sent out Friday says anyone who has eaten uncooked walrus recently, and has experienced stomach pain, muscle pain, diarrhea, swollen eyelids, sweating and weakness, may be infected with trichinella, 'a parasite that causes worm disease.'
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada

First a whale, now a bearded seal spotted in Laval
A video posted to social media shows the seal sunbathing on a floating dock in Laval, close to where the Mille Îles River joins the St. Lawrence River.
Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada
Global News

Washed-up Stellar Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) on Front Beach
Female Stellar sea lion found dead on the beach, partially scavenged by eagles. There was no sign of any bullet holes. In addition, there wasn't any other evidence of what happened to the sea lion.
Barbara Mahoney, Gay Sheffield, Julieanne Renee Berikoff, Melissa Good

Migratory dolphins return to Nepali waters earlier than usual
The early arrival of the dolphins can be attributed to rainfall from cyclone Nisarga that caused rainfall over the Chure range.
Bhajani, Seti, Nepal
Kathmandu Post

Dead Young Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
Young gray whale found dead on the beach.
Pilot Point, Alaska, United States
Maio Nishkian, Gay Sheffield, Barbara Mahoney

Northern anchovy blooms bring more sea life to Burrard Inlet
Northern anchovy are becoming more comment perhaps due to warmer temperatures. A 10-centimetre-long fish represents an anchovy that's about a year old suggesting that the fish are spawned locally in the pelagic zone, or upper, warmer zone of the seawater.
Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada

Orca pod makes rare appearance in Vancouver’s False Creek
It's a rare sight in Vancouver's False Creek, but a pod of orcas was spotted swimming the city's most inner waterway on Wednesday.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Global News

New possible bottlenose dolphin sighting turns heads in Finland
The eyewitness, who first heard the animal splashing by the southeastern coast, said she couldn't believe her eyes.
Lovisa, Uusimaa, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Seal Pup Found in Iceland Swam Home to Greenland
A seal pup found in Iceland about five months ago has now returned to its home turf in Greenland. The ringed seal pup was found behaving strangely in Njarðvík harbor.
Greenland

Humpback whales numbers swell in the Strait of Juan de Fuca
The North Pacific Humpback whale population has increased, and sightings are becoming more common.
Clallam Bay, Washington, United States

Large landslides have passed in Alta
One person was evacuated and brought to safety after the landslide at Kråkneset in Alta municipality. A total of eight buildings were swept to the sea in the 650-metre landslide. Due to a high avalanche risk, police have still not entered the area.
Kråkenes, Alta, Norway
Sofie Dege Dimmen, Ida Loise Rostad, Idun Aalbu Rasmussen, Jo Hermstad Tronsen

Dolphins sighted in Kopli Bay in Estonia
Estonian ship pilot Indrek Sulla on Tuesday morning sighted two dolphins who had likely wandered into Kopli Bay from the Atlantic.
Tallinn, Harjumaa, Estonia
The Baltic Course

Humpback whale up Saint Lawrence River
“It’s extremely rare. For the Quebec Mammal Emergency Network it’s a first,” said Marie-Ève Muller, a spokesperson for GREMM. “We’ve had minke whales before, belugas but for such large whale like a humpback whale, it’s a first​.”
St. Lawrence River, Sorel, Quebec, Canada
Global News

Young gray whale appears to be stuck in Twentymile River near Portage
Biologists believe the 18- to 20-foot whale may be sick or injured. It’s unclear if it will be able to swim out during high tide.
Portage Creek, Alaska, United States

Rare whale with long, spiky teeth washes up at California beach
A rare pygmy sperm whale washed up at San Onofre State Beach in southern California.
San Diego, California, United States
Fox News

Bottlenose dolphins sighted off Finnish coast for first time in nearly 70 years
Ascension Thursday, a Finnish holiday, was unforgettable for Keeri Sjöblom, 13, who lives in Kimitoön, a maritime municipality in southwest Finland.
Southwest Finland
Yle Uutiset

Possible Pacific White-sided Dolphin Sighting (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens)
Unusually active marine mammals seen near Unalaska may actually be Pacific white-sided dolphins.
Melissa Good, Julieanne Renee Berikoff, Asia Beder

Wild Animals Roam Russian Cities During Quarantine
With the coronavirus pandemic leaving Russia's cities quiet and deserted, its wild animals have decided to check things out.
Russia

Humpback whale breaching east of Vancouver spotted by Burnaby seniors
Some residents of a Burnaby retirement home were about to start a meditation class on Wednesday when a humpback whale sighting stole their focus.
Burrard Inlet, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

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

Officials find pregnant Hawaiian monk seal dead on beach
Wildlife officials reported the death of a pregnant Hawaiian monk seal who was found at a beach on Kauai.
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
SFGate

First recorded striped dolphin sighting on Haida Gwaii
Animal discovered stranded on Tlell beach, marking first recorded sighting north of Vancouver Island
Crow's Nest, Haisa Gwaii, Canada
Haida Gwaii Observer

Gray whale washes up on Emma Wood State Beach, likely will be towed out to sea
Here's what we know about a dead whale that washed up on Emma Wood State Beach.
Ventura, California, United States
Ventura County Star

Harbor seal pupping season has begun
Two abandoned harbor seal pups were found on beaches near Haines last week. Tracy Mikowski, at Haines Animal Rescue Kennel, said two abandoned seal pups in a single week is unprecedented
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

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

Dead gray whale washes up on Oregon coast, buried
State park rangers and a contractor have buried a gray whale carcass that washed up on the beach at Sand Lake Recreation Area south of Tillamook.
Tillamook, Oregon, United States
AP NEWS

Three Dead Sperm Whales Have Scientists Concerned
It is quite unusual that three specimens of the same species have been stranded in such a short time. It may be a coincidence or something more behind. A concerned researcher hopes samples will answer what the whales died of.
Bleik, Nordland, Norway

Whales are dying, but numbers are unknown. Coronavirus has stalled scientific fieldwork
Stay-at-home requirements have upended the fieldwork of ecological researchers, including that of scientists and volunteers who track migrating gray whales.
Los Angeles, California, United States

The changing behaviour of humpback whales
There are currently fewer minke whales and more humpbacks in Icelandic waters than usual for the time of year, and some appear to be skipping the southward migration altogether.
Húsavík, Northeast, Iceland
RÚV

Brand new whale behaviour caught on video
Whale watchers in Eyjafjörður, North Iceland, witnessed something new and exciting during a tour last weekend. A marine biologist describes the hunting behaviour as unique and something never before seen around Iceland.
Hjalteyri, Northeast, Iceland

Ten seals are dead in the Oslo fjord
Seals have suffered serious infections of the heart and lungs. Veterinarians do not yet know the cause.
Helgeroa, Larvik

Orca Completes 8,000 km Swim from Iceland to Lebanon
A male orca whale belonging to an Icelandic pod was sighted around Beirut, Lebanon, on February 19 and 20. Per a press release issued by Orca Guardians of Iceland, this is a journey of just over 8,000 kilometres (4,970 miles) and is the longest known one-way distance travelled by any ‘killer whale’ to date. The …
Beirut, Lebanon

Otters spotted in southern Alberta city for first time in about a century
Some welcome new visitors have recently appeared in a southeastern Alberta park — otters.
Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

Receding sea ice off northern Japan proves blessing and potential curse for seals
Climate change has allowed spotted seals to find new hunting grounds, but the marine mammals ultimately depend on sea ice to survive.
Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan

Sperm whale carcass will decompose on Lanai beach
Federal and state officials are monitoring a sperm whale carcass in the nearshore waters of Lanai.
Lāna‘i City, Hawaii, United States
Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Rare Arctic seal pup named after a flower rescued from Storm Brendan
Ringed seal Cloudberry was rescued from Quilty by Seal Rescue Ireland after being seen in Kerry.
Burren, Mayo, Ireland
Metro

Mild winter puts squeeze on Saimaa ringed seal
Sipilä said that during his 40 years working for state-owned parks and wildlife management agency Metsähallitus, he has never seen such poor ice conditions in January.
Gulf of Finland
Yle Uutiset

Massive anchovy school in White Rock draws a crowd
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said photographer Marissa Baecker, who was visiting White Rock from Kelowna on Christmas Day. “It wasn’t just a feeding, it was a feast.”
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

Anchovies take over White Rock shores
People in White Rock, B.C. are used to seeing fish in their waters but not quite like this.
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
Facebook Watch

Pod of Orca whales migrate more than 3,000 miles from Iceland to Italy
A pod of Orca whales has made an unprecedented trip from Iceland to more than 3,000 miles away in Genoa, Italy according to a nonprofit organization that tracks them.
Genoa, Liguria, Italy
ABC News

Flares used to scare away 63 polar bears besieging a remote Russian village
Amazing footage shows the bears just 150 metres from the nearest house as shooting is criticised - but does little to deter predators.
Siberia Times

Dozens of polar bears stranded outside Russian Arctic village because of melting ice
Nearly 60 polar bears have been stranded on the Arctic coast near a remote village in Russia's Far East after warm winter weather hampered their hunting routine.
The Telegraph

Utqiagvik celebrates first whale of season in November
It's been a challenging year for whalers in Utqiagvik. Crews started going out in September, but found the bowheads weren't appearing in their usual concentrations in the waters closer to shore. On the water Nov. 16 Panigiuq Crew landed the first whale of the season for Utqiagvik, later than many people can remember ever bringing one in before.
Arctic Sounder

Utqiagvik whalers still hope to land a bowhead as season wanes
Aerial surveys this September and October show the bowheads aren’t where they usually are.

Dead Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Dead humpack whale found between Port Graham and Seldovia.
Seldovia, Alaska, United States
Naomi McMullen, Stephen Payton, Michael Opheim , Barbara Mahoney, Sue Mauger

Humpback whale spotted in River Thames found dead
It was hoped the whale would find its way out without help, as it did not initially appear to be in any distress.
Greenhithe, England, United Kingdom
Sky News

Humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) Whale in the River Thames, off Rainham
Erith, England, United Kingdom
Twitter

Another pygmy killer whale stranding hits Sugar Beach
KIHEI — Called a “rare” occurrence that hasn’t happened in 40 to 50 years, the second mass stranding of pygmy killer whales at the same South Maui beach
Kīhei, Hawaii, United States
mauinews.com

62 whales die on Northeast beach
62 pilot whales swam onto the shore at Ytra Lón on the Langanes peninsula, northeast Iceland, on Friday evening. All died.
Þórshöfn, Northeast, Iceland

Scientists monitoring new marine heat wave off B.C. coast similar to 'the Blob'
A new marine heat wave spreading across a portion of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbia resembles the infamous "blob" that disrupted marine life five years ago.
Northeast Pacific Ocean

Marine Mammal Strandings at 2nd Cape
A variety of stranded marine mammals were observed in the Port Heiden area between August 17 and 26th.
Near Port Heiden
Kathy Burek Huntington, Hillary Burgess, Kris Holderied, Joel Garlich-Miller, Barbara Mahoney, Melissa Good, Gay Sheffield, Jonathan Snyder, Bruce Wright, Kathy Kuletz, Gabe Dunham, Dean Stockwell, Jaclyn Christensen

Short-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris) Found on Chukchi Sea Beach
More than 50 birds and a seal were found along the shoreline.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States
Kathy Kuletz, Janet Mitchell, Gay Sheffield, Hillary Burgess

Polar bear encounters in Kaktovik aren’t new. But they’re happening a bit earlier than last year.
Looking over a longer time span, bears in the southern Beaufort Sea are now using land to an extent they haven’t used it historically,” a researcher said.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Another major whale stranding event
For the second time in less than a month, a large pod of pilot whales has been discovered stranded on an Icelandic beach.Two-thirds of them were saved and driven back out to sea.
Garður, Southern Peninsula, Iceland

Dead Seal
Alaska has experienced a series of seal mortalities in June that were concentrated in the northern part of the state. This dead seal was found on the bluff near a public park in Anchorage.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Thousands of walruses show up early on Northwest Alaska coast as sea ice recedes
Sea ice in the Chukchi Sea disappeared far earlier than normal this spring as a result of exceptionally warm ocean temperatures.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States

Fifty Whales Found Dead on West Iceland Beach
Fifty pilot whales were found dead on the shore of Löngufjörur in a sparsely populated part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula on Thursday, RÚV reports.
Stykkishólmur, West, Iceland

More dead marine mammals, birds found on region’s beaches
Alaska Sea Grant agent Gay Sheffield from Nome responded to report of a dead bowhead and a dead grey whale northeast of Shishmaref near Cape Espenburg.
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Add krill and mussels to the list of unusual marine deaths in Northwest Alaska
Village wildlife observers worry that the unusual warmth of oceans off Alaska is causing problems throughout the ecosystem.
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Where are the endangered whales? Southern residents haven't been spotted in B.C.'s Salish Sea
Southern resident killer whales which are often spotted in the Salish Sea near Vancouver throughout June haven't been seen this season, and scientists believe that could be because of the lack of chinook salmon.
Salish Sea, British Columbia, Canada

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

2 more dead right whales discovered in Gulf of St. Lawrence
There was no evidence of recent fishing gear entanglement or recent vessel strike in their preliminary assessment. Further testing is ongoing to identify other potential causes of death.

Scientists search for cause of ice seal deaths
Around 60 ice seals have been reported dead across northern and western Alaska this month.
The cause of the strandings and deaths is not known.
Kotlik, Alaska, United States
Arctic Sounder

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

Late Arrival of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Late arrival of humpback whales may be related to a change in abundance of prey species.

3 more gray whale carcasses found in Alaska amid spike in deaths along West Coast
An alarming number of gray whales have been found dead this year from Mexico to Alaska, triggering a federal investigation into what’s causing the die-off.

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

Exhausted and Starving Polar Bear Wanders Into Siberian City
It is the first polar bear seen in the city in more than 40 years, according to local environmentalists.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia

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

Dead Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
This walrus was found by a local fisherman and reported by LEO Network to the US Fish and Wildlife Walrus Hotline. The carcass is thought to be too old for necropsy or sample collection.
St. Michael, Alaska, United States
Louisa Castrodale, Mellisa Heflin, Anahma Shannon, Joel Garlich-Miller, Jonathan Snyder, Barbara Mahoney, Racheal Lee, Gay Sheffield, Michelle Snowball

Booming anchovy population helps salmon, orcas
Swarms of anchovy can be seen swimming through the South Sound.
KIRO

2 more gray whales found dead near Kodiak Island
NOAA has declared an “unusual mortality event” for gray whales on the North American west coast and launched an investigation.

18 Dead Seals near Kotlik
18 dead seals were found along the coast, and are like part of a larger mortality event that includes 60 seals total. The average number of dead ice seals normally found in a year is 18.
Kotlik, Alaska, United States

Little Ice for Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) Hunting
Because of the increased travel distance, only families with larger boats were able to participate in the hunt and bring back enough to make the trip cost effective. With a heavier load in the boat, one family ran out of gas trying to get home and had to be rescued.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States
Janet Mitchell, Anna Godduhn, Richard L Thoman Jr

Another dead grey whale found off B.C. coast
A dead grey whale was found floating in Boundary Bay, near the United States border, this week. It's the sixth grey whale to have been found dead in B.C. waters this year.
Boundary Bay, Canada

Beached Grey Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) near Turnagain Arm
Grey whale (*Eschrichtius robustus*) found beached near the Placer River along Turnagain Arm is one of five grey whales reported dead along the Alaska coast during 2019.
Placer Creek

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

Two whale carcasses wash ashore
The body of a minke whale washed ashore in the Grandi area of Reykjavík yesterday, shortly following the discovery of a dead orca whale near Hólmavík in the Westfjords.

Beached Whale Off Reykjavík Coast
The exact species is not known. Part of the carcass has ballooned with gas, a common occurrence with beached whales.
Seltjarnarnes, Capital Region, Iceland

Báru kennsl á háhyrning sem rak á land
Samtökin Orca Guardians telja að háhyrningur sem rak á land við Heydalsá á Ströndum sé háhyrningur sem samtökin sáu síðast úti fyrir Grundarfirði í janúar 2016. Samtökin halda úti ljósmyndasafni með yfir 400 háhyrningum við Íslandsstrendur til að þekkja þá í sundur og fylgjast með ferðum þeirra, samsetningu hópa, fæðuvali og stofnstærð.

Alaska’s third dead gray whale of the year reported on Kodiak coast
The whale is located in an inaccessible place where scientists are unable to take a necropsy.

Researchers seek answers to gray whale deaths after 57 are stranded this year
Gray whales are dying at twice the usual rate as a brutal migration unfolds, with whales washing up on Washington state beaches, apparently starved to death.
Coastal Washington State

Another gray whale found dead in Alaska, this time near Cordova
NOAA is monitoring significant numbers of gray whale deaths this spring along the Pacific coast.
Cordova, Alaska, United States

Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) Feeding in Haro Strait
Haro Strait, Canada
Theo Okolowicz, Phoebe Okey-Dobie, Tom Okey

Seal pups and walrus calves found stranded on regional beaches
Near Nome, reports of seal pups and walrus calves hauled out on beaches are piling up at an unprecedented rate.
Nome, Alaska, United States

Another gray whale has been found dead in Turnagain Arm
A pilot first spotted the whale last week. What caused the whale’s death isn’t yet known.

Second whale found dead in Turnagain Arm within 2 weeks
A second whale has been found dead floating in the middle of Turnagain Arm, just two weeks after a juvenile humpback whale was found dead on the Arm after stranding itself twice.
Turnagain Arm, Alaska, United States
Anchorage KTUU News

Grey whales stranded in Boundary Bay freed, headed for deeper water
A pair of grey whales that found themselves beached Friday in Boundary Bay have begun to make their way out to deeper water.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

Walrus herds pass Nome Headed North
The appearance of walrus on the ice off Nome added some excitement to the onset of spring.

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

In Utqiaġvik, temperatures are warmer, and the ice is changing. What does that mean for whalers?
“I think it was a little more stable, and there was a little bit more assurance that the ice you were on was not going to disintegrate on you that easy,” said whaling captain Gordon Brower.

Juvenile Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) Hauled Out
A species rarely seen in the Seward area.
Seward, Alaska, United States

Natuashish photographer captures 3 polar bears and a surprise walrus
After scoping out the coast for a month, photographer Mark Nui was rewarded when he spotted three polar bears and a walrus. .
'
LEO Member Eric Oliver writes, "walrus are rare these days in Labrador.."
Natuashish 2, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

A humpback whale died in Turnagain Arm. Here’s what might have happened.
It’s rare to see humpbacks in Turnagain Arm, known for its swift tides and shallow waters.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Weak ice hampers spring count of endangered Saimaa ringed seal
Sixty-three endangered Saimaa ringed seal pups were found during the early spring count carried out by forestry workers and volunteers.
Suomenniemi, Southern Savonia, Finland

Frantic bid to save Umka the lost and forlorn polar bear who travelled 700 km in the wrong direction on ice floe
Lame, exhausted and confused, the young male polar bear is far from his natural habitat to the north.
Tilichiki, Kamtsjatka, Russia

Dead grey whale towed to Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney for necropsy
A dead male grey whale that was found floating between Sidney Island and James Island on Thursday has been towed to Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney for a necropsy.
Sidney Channel, British Columbia, Canada

Southeast Alaska researchers get rare opportunity to study a sperm whale
The species has been spotted in the Inside Passage before. But sightings are infrequent. A whale found recently near Juneau is thought to have died from a vessel strike.

Whale Fatality Likely Caused By Boat Propeller
A sperm whale (*Physeter macrocephalus*) found beached on the east side of Lynn Canal had trauma consistent with being hit by a boat propeller.
Southeast Alaska

Odd condition of Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
"Looked normal at first then we started to butcher it found some unusual stuff on the insides."
Kwigillingok, Alaska, United States

Two dead gray whales in San Francisco Bay spur investigation
The Marine Mammal Center and California Academy of Sciences are reporting cause of death for one.
Tiburon, California, United States
Marin Independent Journal

A 'invasion’ of polar bears is terrorizing an island town in Russia
Thinning sea ice has driven more than 50 polar bears ashore on an Arctic archipelago in northern Russia, causing chaos for the local population.
Rogachëvo, Arkhangelskaya, Russia

Botulism cases reported in Nome
Public health officials confirmed that four Nome residents had been hospitalized in early January with preliminary results pointing to poising from foodborne type E botulism from an aged beluga flipper.

Another Sand Point fisherman is chomped on by a sea lion
The third such bite in two years prompted a police warning in the Aleutian Islands town.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

Alaska man kills polar bear that strayed from its usual habitat
Jim Hollandsworth of Arctic Village said he encountered the bear in early January. He said the bear had tried to get into his cabin about 32 kilometers from the village.
Arctic Village, Alaska, United States

Sea lions survive with the help of Kamchatka residents
Sea lions have been pushed to come closer town because of marine pollution and over fishing, and now they are eating the scraps from the fish processing plant.
Петропавловск-Камчатский, Kamchatka, Russia
РЕН ТВ

Wandering seals swarm streets of Newfoundland town
Officials are warning residents in Roddickton, Newfoundland to keep their distance from seals that have wandered into town.
According to resident Brendon Fitzpatrick, some have crawled 6 to 8 km away from the ocean.
Roddickton, Newfoundland, Canada
The Weather Network

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

As Polar Bear Attacks Increase in Warming Arctic, a Search for Solutions
With sea ice reduced, polar bears in the Arctic are spending more time on land, leading to increased attacks on people. Concerned Inuit communities want to increase hunting quotas, but researchers are testing new technologies they hope will reduce these often deadly confrontations.
Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Yale E360

Sea lions have enemies. Now someone is shooting them in the head.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Washington Post

Beached whale had 115 plastic cups in its stomach
A dead whale that washed ashore in eastern Indonesia had a large lump of plastic waste in its stomach, including drinking cups and flip-flops, a park official said Tuesday, causing concern among environmentalists and government officials in one of the world's largest plastic polluting countries.
Wakatobi, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia

Study finds healthy group of polar bears in sea near Alaska
The first formal count of polar bears in waters between the United States and Russia indicates they are doing better than some of their cousins elsewhere. However, in the longer term, it doesn't mean the Chukchi Sea bear population will not be affected. Fewer cubs were surviving into their second year and adult males weighed less and had smaller skulls, the U.S. Geological Survey found.

Hundreds of sea lions take over docks of Cowichan Bay
A raucous crowd has moved into Cowichan Bay and the volume and odour coming from them is wafting for blocks around. Locals estimate over 300 sea lions have descended on the Cowichan community and their presence is proving a huge tourist draw.
Duncan, British Columbia, Canada

'Really shocking': Sperm whales spotted near Pond Inlet
The two whales were spotted just 10 minutes outside of Pond Inlet, surprising local guides and scientists, who say it's a sign of shifts in the ecosystem.
Pond inlet, Nunavut

Rarely seen whale stranded on Waikato beach dies
A stranded whale on a Waikato beach has died, despite rescuers; best efforts to save it.
Waikato Region, New Zealand
Radio New Zealand

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

Red tide has contributed to the deaths of nearly 190 Florida manatees, FWC says
Red tide has contributed to or is suspected in the deaths of nearly 190 manatees so far this year.
Florida, United States
WFTS

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

Dead Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Dead sea otter (*Enhydra lutris*) found on the beach with no obvious sign of injury although it did show signs of hair loss.
McDonald Spit, Alaska

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) living near Race Rocks
Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, British Columbia, Canada

Remote Hawaiian island vanishes underwater after hurricane
East Island, a strip of gravel and sand northwest of Honolulu, "appears to be under water" after Hurricane Walaka surged past Hawaii, officials said.
East Island, Hawai'i
USA TODAY

'Son of the blob': Unseasonably warm weather creating new anomaly off B.C. coast
A meteorologist says unseasonably warm weather in B.C. is once again causing a large area of the Pacific Ocean to heat up considerably, emulating a phenomenon from past years known as the “blob.”
Gulf of Alaska

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

Missing Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) Bed
Large bull kelp (*Nereocystis luetkeana*) bed near the 1st channel marker, which used to attract sea otters, has disappeared.
Larsen Bay, Alaska, United States
David Harmes, Joy Britt, Mandy Lindeberg

Whaling captain, crew member die in boating accident
The two men, who were both part of an active whaling crew, were in one of the boats on a towline, towing a whale to shore, when their boat flipped, according to fellow whalers who were there when it happened.
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

Another minke whale washes ashore dead in Marshfield, adding to 'exceptional' year of die-offs
The whale washed up in the Brant Rock neighborhood, the second in the past two months.
Marshfield, Massachusetts, United States
masslive.com

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

Scientists stumble across endangered whale not seen in Canada in years
An endangered whale that has only been seen off Canada's west coast twice in the last 50 years has been seen alive and well in BC waters.
Canada's Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone

Beluga whale sighting in Britain’s River Thames
An off-course beluga whale was spotted splashing around near London, and Brits can’t quite believe it.
Gravesend, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Washington Post

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

Warmer Arctic waters attract surprising visitors: clams, fish and whales
Ice in the north Bering Sea is diminishing, researchers aboard a Coast Guard ship report.
Washington Post

Thousands of Pacific walruses again herd up on Alaska coast
Walruses over the last decade have come to shore on the Alaska and Russia sides of the Chukchi Sea as sea ice diminishes because of global warming.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States

Scientists baffled by number of whale deaths on the coasts of Scotland and Ireland
Scientists are baffled by a wave of whale deaths - which saw more carcasses wash up on the coasts of Scotland and Ireland in the past month than in the previous decade.
Scotland & Ireland
The Scotsman

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

Gulf of Maine Water Temperatures Soar Near Record Highs After Ocean 'Heat Wave'
NOAA and NASA satellites measured an average sea-surface temperature of 68.93 degrees Fahrenheit in the Gulf of Maine on Aug. 8, only 0.05 degrees below the all-time record high of 68.98 set in 2012. It is the epicenter of the U.S. lobster fishing industry, an important feeding ground for rare North Atlantic right whales .
Gulf of Maine
The Weather Channel

After 3 days, ‘stressed’ sea lion that ventured into Sitka can’t find its way back to the ocean
Why did the sea lion cross the road? Scientists don't know yet.

Pod of Pilot Whales Unexpectedly Spotted in Westfjords
A marine biologist at the Marine and Freshwater Research institute who specializes in whales says that it’s rare for pilot whales to venture so far north, but said that it’s possible that the pilot whales' appearance in Iceland’s waters can be credited to warming ocean temperatures.
Isafjordur, Westfjords, Iceland

Nunavut hunter killed by polar bear and cub
A man from Nunavut has been killed in a polar bear attack, according to local RCMP. A polar bear mother and cub were destroyed at the scene. This is the second fatal polar bear attack in Nunavut this summer
Naujaat, Nunavut

Giant 50,000 pound whale washes up on beach shore
Scientists are working to find the cause of death of a massive 50,000 pound whale that washed up on shore.
Duxbury, Massachusetts, United States
ABC13 Houston

Record Numbers Of Beaked Whale Deaths Cause Alarm
The IWDG says a minimum of 16 beaked whale deaths were recorded along the North West coast of Ireland from Galway to Donegal between 3 and 22 August, 2018.
Galway, Ireland
Afloat.ie

2nd right whale death of year reported off of Massachusetts
A member of a species of critically endangered whale that is struggling with poor reproduction has been found dead off of Massachusetts.
Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States
Associated Press

Rare Walrus Sighting in East Iceland
A lone hiker in East Iceland found a wandering walrus, and managed to snap some fantastic photos.
Isafjordur, Westfjords, Iceland

Tests find dead seals had avian flu and distemper viruses
Many of the dead seals that washed ashore in northern New England in the past few weeks tested positive for either avian influenza or phocine distemper virus, but it is still too soon to say if those viruses are the primary causes of the unusual die-off.
Portland, Maine, United States
Lewiston Sun Journal

Nine Whales Stranded in Eastfjords
Nine whales have been stranded so far this year in East Iceland. Bottlenose whales and Curvier’s beaked whales are members of the family Ziphiidae and it’s often been said that they are more sensitive to noise pollution in the ocean.
Reykjavík, Reykjavík, Iceland

New England Seals Test Positive for Avian Flu and Distemper
Preliminary results suggest that avian flu and/or phocine distemper virus may be contributing to the elevated seal strandings in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts since June 1, 2018.
Lewiston, Maine, United States
NOAA

Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Sighting in Utqiaġvik
Unusual Stellar sea lion (*Eumetopias jubatus*) sighting in Utqiaġvik.

Over 30 dead harbor seals wash ashore in southern Maine in 2 days
Marine mammal experts are testing tissue samples for a potential common cause of the surge in carcasses found on the state's beaches this year.
Saco, Maine, United States
Press Herald

Bottlenose Whales Spotted in Northern and Eastern Fjords
An unusually high number of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) have been sighted in fjords in North and East Iceland.
Þórshöfn, Northeast, Iceland

Whale-dolphin hybrid species discovered off coast of Hawaii
A rare whale-dolphin hybrid species has been discovered off the coast of Hawaii, scientists say. The animal is the first-ever documented offspring of a rough-toothed dolphin and the rare melon-headed whale, a team from the Cascadia Research Collective concluded in a report released this week.
Kaua'i, Hawaii, United States
The Independent

Scientists puzzled by right whale's appearance off Iceland
But an Icelandic whale-watching crew spotted the right whale named Mogul three times this week, leaving a research scientist wondering why the animal ventured so far.
Reykjavík, Reykjavík, Iceland
Eye on the Arctic

Decomposed whale washes up on Old Orchard Beach, draws crowd
The smelly carcass, identified as that of an adult male minke whale, is the second large marine animal to turn up on shore in southern Maine in the past week.
Old Orchard Beach, Maine, United States

Polar Bears Appear Where They Never Were Before
Polar bears have been rummaging through science camps at the top of Greenland's ice sheet far inland, where they were never expected, and Polar bears are coming into communities more often these days, says Kristin Laidre, a marine biologist at the University of Washington’s Polar Science Center, and an authority on polar bear populations in Greenland. “It’s happening all over the Arctic, and it’s something that’s only going to be an increasing problem as we continue to lose sea ice,” she says.
Summit Camp, Greenland
National Geographic

Dead Sea Mammal and Sea Birds on the Beach
Residents of Chevak and Hooper Bay found two species of sea bird either dead or approachable near the mouth of the Kiuqliiviq and Aprun rivers near fish camps. Residents of Hooper Bay also found a dead sea mammal on the beach.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Porpoise sighted in Pastolik River
Porpoise spotted heading up the Pastolik River
Kotlik, Alaska, United States

Orcas of the Pacific Northwest Are Starving and Disappearing
The population of endangered killer whales has hit a 30-year-low, numbering only 75 this year.
Seattle, Washington, United States
New York Times

Are great white sharks sinking their teeth into Bering Sea seals?
There’s only one historical record of a great white shark in the Bering Sea: fishermen caught one nearly 40 years ago. But scientists have reason to believe that in recent years there might be more of the predators around.
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Sperm whale found dead off beach near Blenheim during weekend
Rangers discovered the whale on Saturday, the cause of death is unknown.
Blenheim, Marlborough Region, New Zealand

14 minke whale deaths in Maritimes this year
The Marine Animal Response Society is keeping a close eye on the minke whale population in the Maritimes after at least 14 of them have been observed dead at sea or washed ashore since February.
New Brunswick, Canada

Exploding Salish Sea seal population sparks call for a cull
Tens of thousands of seals in the Salish Sea are devouring millions of adult and juvenile salmon, sparking renewed debate about a cull.

Three dead gray whales wash up on Kodiak Island beaches in one week
Three dead gray whales washed up on two different Kodiak Island beaches recently. The strandings happened within the span of a week.
Womens Bay, Alaska, United States

Whale strandings off Washington-Oregon coast highest in nearly 2 decades
Sixteen gray and humpback whales have been reported stranded off Washington and Oregon since April 3, the largest number in nearly two decades.
Oregon & Washington Coast, United States
The Seattle Times

Beached Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
Gray whale (*Eschrichtius robustus*) found dead on the beach near Kivalina.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States

Two deaths, no births for Southern Resident orcas over the past year
The biggest challenges for whales is the buildup of toxic chemicals in their bodies and the shrinking runs of Chinook salmon, their primary prey.
KING

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) Foraging in Re-occupied Soft Bottom Habitats
Rare observation of sea otter in Haro Strait, perhaps first since 2014.
Haro Strait, British Columbia, Canada

Mysterious marine mammal injuries hint that some sharks are shifting their range northward into the Arctic - Arctic Today
Sleeper sharks are already known to range as far north as the Chukchi Sea, but reports of possible shark attacks on seal and sea lions have increased — and now come from further into the Arctic.
Bering and Chukchi Seas
Arctic Today

Fatal feline feces: Scientists discover cause for recent monk seal deaths
State officials are now blaming toxoplasmosis, a parasite carried in cat feces, for the deaths of three critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals on Oahu.
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Hawaii News Now

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) Sighted in the Haro Strait
Island View Beach Regional Park
Phoebe Okey-Dobie, Theo Okolowicz, Tom Okey

Rare killer whale sighting in Victoria's Inner Harbour
One whale-watched said it appeared to be a mother orca with a large dorsal fin and three to four young orcas.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Where salmon recreational fishing will be closed to boost orcas
Federal officials have shut down salmon and recreational fishing for the summer in key feeding grounds for killer whales. The closures, which took effect Friday, apply to parts of the southern . . .
Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Canada
Times Colonist

Beluga whales visiting Alaskan river earlier, in greater numbers: researcher
Cook Inlet beluga whales are swimming up the Kenai River earlier in the year and in greater numbers than previously estimated, according to new monitoring of the endangered species.
Kenai, Alaska, United States

Gulf Islanders raise alarm over too many whale-watching boats
Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Canada

Eagles Deck Out Their Nest With Kelp
Gosling Rocks
Hakai Magazine

Washed-up Carcass Tangled in Netting
The remains of a possible seal carcass tangled in netting may have come into contact postmortem, "ghost fishing" as a potential cause.

More polar bears are entering communities in East Greenland, hunters say in new survey
In the last 15 years, polar bear hunters in eastern Greenland have had to adapt their hunting practices because of climate change,
Baffin, Nunavut, Canada

Pair of Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) Observed in Cordova Channel
Tsawout First Nation Beach, British Columbia, Canada

Sea otters make a comeback in southeast Alaska, and fishermen are not happy
Northern sea otters, once hunted to the brink of extinction along Alaska's Panhandle, have made a spectacular comeback.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
Associated Press

First right whale of the season spotted in Canadian waters
The first right whale of the season has been spotted in Canadian waters after an unprecedented winter in which not a single calf was spotted.
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

Bowhead whales, dwellers of icy seas, enjoy steady growth off Alaska in the age of climate change
Sea ice has shrunk, but scientists are seeing signs that Alaska's bowhead whales are flourishing.

Finnish Coast Guard rescues humpback whale trapped in fish net off west coast
The Finnish Coast Guard came to the rescue of a whale caught in a fish trap on Saturday in the narrow region of the Gulf of Bothnia known as Kvarken.
Sävar, Västerbotten, Sweden

Fishing Boat Lifted by Whale
At the time of the encounter, Einar had been line fishing for a while. He and his boatmate had just been talking about how many whales were around.
Sangerdi, Southern Peninsula, Iceland

Taken to tusk: Walrus discovery surprises remote Alaskan village - Independent.ie
Two hundred walruses surprised residents on an Alaskan peninsula after arriving en masse on a beach.
Independent.ie

Record number of killer whales sighted on Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay, California, United States
Mercury News

North Slope whalers bring in a spring bounty
The ice conditions are similar to last year (with) lots of young ice and close leads," said Captain Frederick Brower. "We all went out and broke trail to the edge, but a high west wind came along and added about three-quarters to 1 mile of ice and (we) had to break trail through that and began whaling from the new edge ... . The conditions were not favorable but we made due with what we had and continued on with our whaling season."
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

Walrus haul out near Port Heiden
Residents saw a few hundred walrus hauled out at the beginning of April. By the end of April, they reported seeing about a thousand. On a recent flight over the shoreline, an ADF&G biologist saw only 100.
KDLG

With 50+ Ringed Seal Sightings, Unalaskans Start Tracking The Unexpected Species
Unalaskans are used to spotting marine mammals around the island. But lately, they're not just seeing whales or otters. They're seeing ringed seals — an Arctic species that typically lives far north of the ice-free Aleutian Islands.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States
KUCB

Wolves are eating sea otters near Gustavus. What does that mean for the deer?
Biologists are investigating a surprising connection between two animals that aren’t exactly well loved in parts of Southeast. Gustavus locals suspect wolves are picking off deer at a popular hunting spot on an island near the mainland.
Gustavus, Alaska, United States
By Elizabeth Jenkins, Alaska's Energy Desk - Juneau

Humpback Whale Baby Boom Near Antarctica
Pregnancy rates in the southern oceans are high, according to a study that showed that Humpbacks are rebounding.
Western Antarctic Penninsula
Scientific America

Alaskan Killer Whales in British Columbia
Underwater recordings confirm that a new killer whale population is poking its head into British Columbia.
Off West Coast of Haida Gwaii
Hakai Magazine

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Herd at Hook Lagoon
The walrus count at this location was approximately 500-1000, and looks like they are here to stay well at least for this season of time before they return to the north.

‘Bachelor herds’ of walrus gather near Port Heiden, where they haven’t been seen in decades
The herds are increasingly moving around in Bristol Bay, perhaps seeking new feeding grounds, a biologist said.

Shifting species composition of sealions at Hornby Island
Flora Islet, British Columbia, Canada

Bivalves recently cracked by sea otters (Enhydra lutris) indicating re-occupation
We discovered numerous large marine bivalve shells (and two chiton shells) that had been cracked recently by sea otters. Ocean View Beach is around the southern extent of Vancouver Island and back again north in the Strait of Georgia. The present observation is evidence of sea otters traveling into the Strait of Georgia.
Island View Beach, British Columbia, Canada
Tom Okey, Theo Okolowicz, Phoebe Okey-Dobie

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Haul-out On Port Heiden Beach
Walrus in Bristol Bay and Port Heiden are not uncommon in summer. The fact they are present in April is unusual and residents believe factors such as the lack of sea ice, lack of food and warming ocean temperatures may be the reason.
Jaclyn Christensen, Erica Lujan, Moses Tcheripanoff

Abnormally large basking shark groups spotted off Canada’s east coast
Coastal northwest Atlantic Ocean

Third ringed seal found in Unalaska sent for rehabilitation
After admitting a sick ringed seal from Unalaska, veterinarians at the Alaska SeaLife Center are cautiously optimistic about his chances for recovery.
KTOO

N.L. polar bears damage snowmobiles, hot tub as they head north early
People in southern Labrador and along Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula are being cautioned to be on the lookout for the bears, who have already begun to move north.
Saint Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The Telegram

Many Ringed Seals (Pusa hispida) Hauling Out
Above normal than average seal strandings in the Aleutians.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States
Chris Price, Moses Tcheripanoff, Melissa Good

Die-off of fur seal pups attributed to mites, pneumonia and changing sea temperatures
Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers uncovered several key factors contributing to a die-off of South American fur seal pups, including mites, pneumonia and sea surface temperature. The findings, published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, help scientists better understand the link between environmental factors and health.
Quellón, Los Lagos, Chile
Phys.Org

Sperm whale in the Salish Sea
One of the most intense sounds emitted by animals on Earth is the echolocation click of the sperm whale.  When Yukusam the 13-14 m lone male sperm whale swam through the Salish Sea last month, he was recorded on a suite of hydrophones including the Orcasound Lab live hydrophone in Haro Strait and simultaneously the…
Johnston Strait
OrcaSound

Only 12 Vaquita Porpoises Remain
Environmental science and conservation news
Northern Gulf of California, Mexico
Conservation news

Scientists don't know why ice seals are appearing in ice-free Unalaska
There are plenty of seals in Unalaska, but ringed seals -- who make their homes on the ice -- are rare.
KTOO

No more ‘Kings of the Columbia’: Chinook salmon much smaller these days
Like its old-growth trees, the Northwest’s big, old chinook salmon are largely gone, a new study finds, with implications for Puget Sound’s critically endangered southern resident killer whales.
Columbia River, United States
The Seattle Times

North Atlantic right whales may face extinction after no new births recorded
Declining fertility and rising mortality, exacerbated by fishing industry, prompts experts to warn whales could be extinct by 2040
Gulf of Maine

Sea lions wash up dead in northern Chile and Peru
Marine researchers have found more than 100 dead sea lions -- most of them newborns -- washed ashore along a relatively small peninsula in northern Chile over the past three months.
CNN

Sperm whale spotted in B.C. strait for 1st time in decades
A sperm whale has been confirmed on Vancouver Island's eastern coast for the first time since 1984.
Johnstone Strait

Arctic birds, seals and reindeer killed by marine plastics; pollution expected to rise
Researchers say the concentration of plastic waste in the European Arctic is now comparable or even higher than in more urban and populated areas.
Svalbard, Svalbard, Norway
Radio Australia

Saimaa seal population on the rise in Finland
Recent heavy snowfall and large drifts have created ideal conditions for the dens where the endangered Saimaa ringed seal raise their young, and a record number of pups may be born this year. The freshwater Saimaa ringed seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world.
Lake Saimaa, South Karelia, Finland
Eye on the Arctic

2017-2018 Minke Whale Unusual Mortality Event along the Atlantic Coast | NOAA Fisheries
Since January 2017, elevated minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) mortalities have occurred along the Atlantic coast from Maine through South Carolina.
NOAA Fisheries

Endangered Orcas Are Starving. Should We Start Feeding Them?
Washington state officials have proposed a new tack to save the Pacific Northwest's critically endangered orca population. Their idea is to boost salmon
Puget Sound, Washington, United States
NW News Network

Police help capture baby seal found wandering on busy road
"How he got so far inland from the ocean to Route 6A without getting hurt is amazing," police posted. "Must be a NAVY SEAL!"
Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States
CBS NEWS

High levels of algae-produced biotoxin found in dead walrus
Three of the walruses had low to moderate levels of saxitoxin, while the fourth one had high levels.
Diomede, Alaska, United States

Beaufort Sea polar bears are spending more time on land — and becoming more exposed to land-based diseases, scientists find
The animals didn't necessarily become sick, researchers said, but were encountering the new pathogens much more frequently.
Arctic Now

Woman comes face-to-face with polar bear after grocery shopping
A woman's impromptu grocery store trip turned into a winter horror story Tuesday afternoon in Resolute, Nunavut.
Resolute, Nunavut, Canada

As Oceans Warm, the World’s Kelp Forests Begin to Disappear
Tasmania, Australia
Yale Environment 360

As traditional Alaska Native marine diets decline, vitamin D deficiency rises
Vitamin D deficiencies have long been a concern in high latitudes because sunlight — which stimulates its production in the body — is scarce in winter months.
Arctic Now

Toxic algae may have played part in sea bird die off
Walruses were found washed up on the beaches from Cape Espenberg to Shishmaref and further west. Samples taken from the intestines of four walrus all had moderate to high levels of saxitoxin.

What's That We're Hearing? Sea Otters in the Salish Sea?
Guided Sea Kayak Tours & Eco-Resort Accommodation in Desolation Sound, British Columbia, Canada. Take the tour of a lifetime!
Cortez Island, British Columbia, Canada
BC Seakayak

Polar bears in Churchill face bleak future, researchers warn
Shorter periods of sea ice on Hudson Bay as a result of climate change translate into fewer polar bears in Churchill region.
Churchill Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Kincaid Beach Littered with Whale Parts
Tissue from the recent necropsy on a humpback whale remains on Kincaid beach
Upper Cook Inlet, Alaska, United States

130 dead seals have washed up on the shores of Russia's Lake Baikal
130 dead seals washed up in Russia's Lake Baikal, and scientists have taken lake water samples and biopsies of the animals. Preliminary theories about the die-off did not suggest pollution is the reason.
Yelantsy, Irkutsk, Russia
Mail Online

What dolphin diets reveal about climate change's effects off the California coast
Scientists studying dolphins dining off the California coastline have found that the marine food web is starting to look a little threadbare. The length of food chains in that web appears to have gotten shorter in response to environmental changes — such as those caused by El Niño events.
California Bight
latimes.com

'Huge' polar bear spotted in Iqaluit
'Attention!!! Huge polar bear up running after birds behind Tasilik street!!!' Christine Boucher-Wight posted on the Iqaluit Public Service Announcement Facebook page.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

This "flock of sheep" was actually an unprecedented gathering of polar bears
Zoom in on this supposed image of sheep on a hillside and you'll be in for quite the surprise.
Wrangel Island
MNN - Mother Nature Network

Investigation into washed up whale’s death begins in Alaska
The extraordinary sight of a 30-foot long dead humpback whale that washed up on a beach area in Anchorage.
Eye on the Arctic

California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) in Auke Bay
California sea lions are rare but occasionally show up in Southeast Alaska and have been documented in other parts of Alaska as well.

The dead whale floating in Cook Inlet has washed ashore at Kincaid Park
It's not yet clear what led to the humpback’s death or where it died, and biologists are warning people to stay away from the carcass.
Cook Inlet, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

64 walruses found dead at Point Lay haulout
Dozens of walruses were found dead earlier this month at their seasonal haulout near Point Lay. The findings came just about a day after locals said they saw an airplane they believed to be flying inappropriately over the herd, which comes to shore each year once the sea ice recedes past the continental shelf and it becomes too deep for them to feed.
The Arctic Sounder

Disappearance of right whales from winter breeding grounds a mystery
Scientists are at a loss to explain one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
South Atlantic States Continental Shelf

Stampede suspected as dozens of walruses found dead near Point Lay
The Arctic barrier island where the carcasses were found has emerged as a favored end-of-summer haulout for animals trying to survive without summer sea ice.
Alaska Dispatch News

Sea Mammal Identified as Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)
Unidentified sea mammal bones later identified as beluga whale.
Gambell, Alaska, United States

Walrus haulout in Northwest Alaska forms at earliest date ever recorded
Several hundred Pacific walruses have started to gather on an island off the northwest coast of Alaska — the earliest the animals have been observed leaving the water for the annual ritual, according to federal wildlife officials.
Alaska Dispatch News

Loss of sea ice leads walruses to early appearance in Alaska
Hundreds of Pacific walruses came ashore to a barrier island on Alaska's northwest coast, the earliest appearance of the animals in a phenomenon tied to climate warming and diminished Arctic Ocean sea ice.

Climate change may have driven gray whale up Kuskowkim
Climate change may be responsible for pushing Alaska’s Gray Whales up into estuaries and rivers like the Kuskokwim.
Napakiak, Alaska, United States

Gray whale harvest on the Kuskokwim stirs up controversy
In Southwest Alaska, a tired crew of volunteers on Saturday night, dragged a large whale’s carcass onto shore near Napaskiak’s airport. The whale was grey, bloody and barnacled, and the men who set to work butchering it said it was at least 37-feet long. Residents are still distributing its blubber and meat, saying it will feed families throughout the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta for months.
Napaskiak, Alaska, United States

Sea Creature
Unidentified, deceased, sea animal washes ashore on Togiak beach
Togiak, Alaska, United States

Stranded Carcass Identified as Bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) Whale
Carcass largely decomposed and difficult to identify.
North of Point Romanof, between Kotlik and Stebbins, Alaska, United States
William Murphy Jr., Kathy Burek Huntington, Gay Sheffield

First record of bottlenose dolphins in Canadian Pacific waters
Authors of a recent Marine Biodiveristy Records publication describe a very special and surprising sighting of bottlenose dolphins in British Columbian waters: is this the first record of a long series to come?
South of Delwood Seamounts
On Biology

Ten Alaskans were sickened by raw or undercooked walrus. A parasite was in the meat, CDC says.
Alaskans from St. Lawrence Island were hospitalized with the food-borne parasite trichinella, which used to more typically infect pork. The CDC and state public health officials issued warnings.
Gambell, Alaska, United States

Dazed and Confused Pilot Whales
Pilot whales are abyssal creatures, usually spending their lives far away from land. It is not known for sure why the whales drift ashore but they might be confused when they encounter shallows on their swims.
Rif, West, Iceland

Unidentified Marine Mammal
We could not figure out the what type of sea mammal it is.
Gay Sheffield, Kathy Burek Huntington, Janet Mitchell

Tales of Lake Iliamna monster resurface with new sightings
On June 19, some kids spotted an unrecognized creature the size of a large whale offshore near the Alaska village of Iliamna. Other accounts followed.
Iliamna Lake, Alaska, United States

Twenty Humpbacks Spotted in Eyjafjörður
Visitors to Eyjafjörður fjord in North Iceland could be lucky enough to meet with the spectacle of up to 20 humpback whales currently sojourning there.
Eyjafjörður, Iceland

4 Dead, Liverless Sharks Wash Ashore in Weird Whodunit
Orca whales appear to be killing great white sharks and eating their livers and, in some cases, their hearts.
Western Cape Province, South Africa
Live Science

Unprecedented event: 6 North Atlantic right whales found dead in June
Gulf of Saint Lawrence

Killer whales are stalking boats and stealing their fish
Pods of killer whales are stalking the boats of Alaska fishermen and stealing their halibut catches, leaving the men with no fish and thousands of gallons of fuel wasted trying to flee.
It’s not...
Bering Sea
The Verge

Too Much Rain
Summer rain affecting subsistence food preservation.

Hundreds Of Dead Seabirds, Sea Lions Wash Up In California
The likely culprit is a toxic algal bloom, fueled by warmer ocean temperatures.
Carpinteria, California, United States
HuffPost

Ghost fishing: Lost pots are a crab killer
Douglas Indian Association catalogs marine debris at the bottom of Gastineau Channel | Though it sounds like the subtitle to a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, ghost fishing is a real phenomenon. It's going on right now in Gastineau Channel.

Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) Hauling Out with Seals
Sea otter population growth not seen in recent history and shellfish harvest have been dropping.

For two Alaska villages, walruses remain essential. As sea ice disappears, can it last?
Thinning sea ice puts walruses nearly out of reach. The federal government may list walruses as an endangered species. And ivory bans elsewhere are making it hard for walrus-tusk carvers to sell their art.

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Haulout at Cape Greig
Pacific Walrus haulout at Cape Greig.
Cape Greig, Alaska, United States

Less sea ice means shorter hunting season for polar bears and scientists who study them
"It was pretty crazy how much water just kind of showed up," said Michelle St. Martin, whose field season was cut short by melting sea ice.
Chukchi Sea, Arctic Ocean

38 million pieces of plastic waste found on uninhabited South Pacific island
Henderson Island

This Giant Dead Sea Creature Washed Up On An Island, And It's Freaking Everyone Out
Pulau Seram, Maluku, Indonesia
The Huffington Post

Bringing beluga back to Buckland
Technology has changed, communities have moved, people have grown older, and the beluga whales the Kanigmiut have relied on for generations have all but disappeared.
Buckland, Alaska, United States

Killer whales bad news for belugas
After attacks belugas scattered northward, away from a traditional calving area. Scattering could impact the survival rate of young belugas.
Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada

In Greenland’s northernmost village, a melting Arctic threatens the age-old hunt
But the age-old Inugguit lifestyle is changing fast as the climate warms, disrupting long-held patterns and possibilities and forcing economic challenges as a traditional hunting culture weighs new industries such as fishing and even tourism.
Qaanaaq, Greenland
The Washington Post

Biologist: Orca attacks on gray whales up in California bay
Monterey Bay

Mass Die-Off of Whales in Atlantic Is Being Investigated
Forty-one whales have died in the past 15 months along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Maine. Ten of the whales were killed by collisions with ships.On average, eight humpback whales are stranded each year and fewer than two are hit by ships.
New York City, New York, United States
New York Times

Transient orcas spotted off Vashon Island
Multiple groups of transient killer whales were spotted in the waters off Vashon Island Friday, according to the Vashon Hydrophone Project’s Ann Stateler (“Orca Annie”).
Vashon Island, Washington, United States
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

Green Yellow Puss on Tiny Seal
I never thought of seeing sick seal but what is that?
Togiak, Alaska, United States
Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Diane Abraham, Kathy Burek Huntington

Stranded, lethargic ringed seal found far south of normal icy habitat
A parasite-riddled seal afraid of the water is the first Alaska marine mammal rescued in 2017. The seal will not be returned to the wild if it continues to survive rehabilitation at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.

Cause of death unclear for Steller sea lion in Morris Cove
The carcass of a Steller sea lion washed up this weekend in Unalaska's Morris Cove. The dead marine mammal was an adult male, almost 8-feet long, according to Melissa Good of the Alaska Sea Grant program.

Steller Watch lets anyone with internet access play wildlife biologist
Scientists are trying out crowdsourcing to comb through pictures looking for sea lions.
Zoë Sobel, Alaska's Energy Desk - Unalaska

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

Yukon species list shows climate change in action
A big emphasis in the last few years has been updating and adding to the list of species known to occur in the Yukon.
This past year, a whopping 1,973 species of plants, insects and animals have been added.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Bloated Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) in Harbor
Sick and bloated sea lion may have been caused by eating rotten fish, noted state DVM.
Seldovia, Alaska, United States

Amazon Deforestation, Once Tamed, Comes Roaring Back
"A decade after the “Save the Rainforest” movement captured the world’s imagination, Cargill and other food giants are pushing deeper into the wilderness."
Coari, Amazonas, Brazil
HIROKO TABUCHI, CLAIRE RIGBY and JEREMY WHITE

New whale species discovered in Sri Lankan waters
Accidentally running into a whole new species of whale on the job? For marine biologist, conservationist and educator Asha de Vos, who’s a specialist in Sri Lankan blue whales, it’s all in a day’s…
Sri Lanka
TED Fellows

‘It was really haunting’: 416 beached whales propel New Zealanders into frenzied rescue mission
The whale stranding was the third largest in New Zealand history, since the country began keeping data in the 1800s.
Farewell Spit, Tasman, New Zealand

St. Paul’s fur seal pups at lowest level in 100 years
Scientist Rod Towell has been part of the fur seal counts since 1992. He said the difference at the rookeries is striking. Northern fur seal pup production has hit its lowest level since 1915.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States

Snow Storm May Have Saved Dozens of Saimaa Seal Pups
Heavy snows over the weekend are likely to have saved up to half of the rare, endangered Saimaa seal pups being born this winter season from death by exposure or from predators.
Taipalsaari, South Karelia, Finland
yle

Seal - Harbor (Phoca vitulina) or Spotted (Phoca largha) with Hair Loss and Skin Infection
Was observed for the first time.
Kathy Burek Huntington, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Pamela Lestenkof, Gay Sheffield

The Detective of Northern Oddities
When a creature mysteriously turns up dead in Alaska—be it a sea otter, polar bear, or humpback whale—veterinary pathologist Kathy Burek gets the call.
Jakolof Bay Alaska, United States
Outside Online

Spotted Seal
La Gi, Bình Thuận, Vietnam

Another Puget Sound orca dies — 5th in a year
The death this week of another Puget Sound killer whale makes 2016 one of the worst in recent history for the endangered marine mammals. At least five orcas in the family group J-pod have died in the past year.
Puget Sound, Washington, United States
Seattle Times

Polar Bears’ Path to Decline Runs Through Alaskan Village
The bears that come to the northern village of Kaktovik are climate refugees, on land because the sea ice they rely on for hunting seals is receding.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Kachemak Bay has seen massive die-offs of sea stars and other species. What’s going on?
Kachemak Bay has witnessed massive die-offs of sea stars, murres and razor clams. Whats going on?
Seldovia Village, Alaska, United States

Long Beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus capensis) Beaching
Dolphin beaching in Sodwana Bay, South Africa
Sodwana Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Dead Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Quitsano Narrows, British Columbia

Dead Whale on Beach
Dead whale with interesting dolphin-like face.

Dead Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) in Boat Harbor
Dead sea lion found in boat harbor, cause of death unknown.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

Juneau scientist helps discover new whale species
Mysterious beaked whale washed up on Pribilof Islands is 1 of only 8 known specimens • Michelle Ridgway, St. George community collect crucial tissue samples leading to discovery
Saint George, Alaska, United States

Dead Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
Marine Mammal

Dolphins in Salish Sea signal warming worries
Times Colonist

Pacific walrus population dropped drastically in 1980s-90s, study indicates
The notoriously difficult-to-study Pacific walrus population decreased by about half between 1981 and 1999, likely due to hunting and changes to sea-ice habitat, according to a new USGS study that is considered the most up-to-date and comprehensive so far. The Pacific walrus is being considered for Endangered Species Act protections.
Walrus Islands — State Game Sanctuary, Alaska, United States

West Coast Harmful Algal Bloom
Over the past few months, a massive toxic bloom of the marine diatom *Pseudo-nitzschia*, stretching from central California to the Alaska Peninsula, has resulted in significant impacts to coastal resources and marine life. NOAA has been working closely with federal, state, tribal, academic, and other partners to respond to this unprecedented harmful algal bloom (HAB).
Pacific Ocean, Northern to East Coasts
National Ocean Service (NOAA)

Sperm Whales Found Dead In Germany, Stomachs FULL Of Plastic And Car Parts
In January, 29 sperm whales were found stranded on shores around the North Sea, an area that is too shallow for the marine wildlife. Only recently were details of the animals’ necropsy released. However, scientists were deeply disturbed by what they found in the animals’ stomachs.
North Sea, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
True Activist

Another Dead Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Second sea otter stranding in one week.
Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, United States

Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) Stranding at Chignik Lagoon
Community wonders about cause of illness.
Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, United States

Avistamiento de ballena en playas de Puerto Progreso, Yucatán
Progreso de Castro, Yucatán, Mexico

Dead Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
A fin whale washed ashore in St. George, Pribilofs, Alaska.
St. George, Alaska, United States

Winter Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) Sighting
The lack of sea ice in Toksook Bay, has allowed for a uniquel sighting - a January beluga whale!
Toksook Bay, Alaska, United States

This May Be The Most Contaminated Killer Whale Ever Recorded
Tiree, Scotland, United Kingdom
Huffington Post

Dead Porpoise and Birds
A dead porpoise and eight seabirds found along shoreline
Haines, Alaska, United States

Dead Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Dead sea otter (Enhydra lutris) raises concerns of zoonotic pathogen
Chris Price, Nikita Robinson, Melissa Good

Late Sea Ice Freeze Bring Together Seals and Caribou
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Entangled Humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) Whale
Dead humpback whale

Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) with Saprolegnia Mold
Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) with Saprolegnia
Replogle Swan, Jayde Ferguson, Ali Hamade, Janet Mitchell

Dead Humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) Near Birchwood
I was flying on Monday and found a giant beached dead humpback whale up on the mudflats near Birchwood. I see belugas all the time but never a humpback.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States

Dead Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) and Starfish (Phylum: Echinodermata)
Dead sea otter and star fish
Prince of Wales Islands, Alaska, United States

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

Dead Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
A dead juvenile female humpback whale near Dolgoi Island
King Cove, Alaska, United States

Dead Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
Sea lion washes ashore in Nanwalek.
Nanwalek, Alaska, United States

Low Seal Numbers
Low seal numbers

Whales Are Dying Off North America’s West Coast
West Coast of Vancouver Island, Canada
VICE News

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
Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly

Dead Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
Dead gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) reported off the Alaska Peninsula
King Cove, Alaska, United States
Kate Wynne, Lauren Divine, Cosette Nielsen

The Blob: Why warmer oceans are a big concern
Warm water threatens marine habitats off the coast of BC
Northeast Pacific Ocean
Sooke News Mirror

The warm ‘blob’ in Canada’s Pacific Ocean
Last year, 2014, was the hottest year ever recorded on Earth. Unlike other worldwide problems from which Canadians might feel relatively safe and isolated, but Canada is actually ground zero of global climate.
Gulf of Alaska / Northeast Pacific

Dead Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
A highly decomposed whale carcass was identified as a gray whale.
St. Paul, Alaska, United States

Dead Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
This is one in a string of dead whale sightings that have been designated as the [2015 Gulf of Alaska Large Whale Unusual Mortality Event From May to mid-August, 30 large whales were reported including 11 fin whales, 14 humpback whales, 1 gray whale and 4 other unidentified large cetaceans.
St. Paul, Alaska, United States

Sick Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina)
11-29-14 Sick harbor seal - Chefornak, Alaska, USA
Chefornak, Alaska, United States
Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Gay Sheffield, Janelle Kinegak

Dead Orca (Orcinus orca) Whale
Dead orca observed in the Bering Strait region.
Wales, Alaska, United States

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

Grey Seal
Truro, Massachusetts, United States

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) Sighted at Possession Point, Southern Vancouver Islan
Sooke, British Columbia, Canada

Rare and friendly sea otter spotted in waters off Saanich
[VIDEOS & PHOTOS] A rare and entertaining sea otter spotted along the shores of Saanich this week has locals thrilled, but wildlife experts warn to keep a distance.
Ten Mile Point, British Columbia, Canada

Dead Northern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
7-10-14 Stranded sea otter - McDonald Spit, Alaska, USA
Seldovia, Alaska, USA

New Beaked Whale Species (Berardius)
New beaked whale species: Berardius
Saint George, Alaska, United States
Karin Holser, Joshua Prokopiof, Hertha Kashaverof, Aaron Merculief

Dead Spotted (Phoca largha) and Ringed (Pusa hispida) Seals
We are spotting dead baby 'spotted' and 'ringed' seals washing up on the beach with no signs of lesions or signs of gun shots.
Wales, Alaska, United States
Gay Sheffield, Olivia Lee, Robert Tokeinna, Hajo Eicken

Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Over-heated
This sea lion was seen for over an hour floating along the shore and holding one front and one back flipper in the air.

Advisory - Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) Safety
3-5-14 Advisory - beluga safety
Point Hope, Alaska, United States

Early Fur Seals
This winter has been especially mild in the central Bering Sea and this is the earliest recorded fur seal on St. George Island ever.
St. George, Alaska, USA

Dead Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)
Dead walrus observed while assessing for coastal erosion.
Port Heiden. Alaska, United States

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

Poor Sea Ice - Our Sea Garden
The sea is our garden for food and other things.

Sick Spotted Seal (Phoca largha)
Local hunter reported that he had caught a spotted seal that he thought was sick.
Eek, Alaska, United States

Could Alaska's mystery seal illness be Arctic sunburn?
An Alaska scientist challenges the so-called “unexplained” lesions and deaths observed among Arctic sea life in 2011 and 2012.
Arctic Coast of Alaska

Bearded seal
Niigata, Niigata, Japan

Ringed Seal
Ōfunato, Iwate, Japan

Unusual Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sighting
Rare polar bear sighting in Sisualik summer camp, about 10-11 miles north of Kotzebue, AK.
Sisualik Fish Camp, Alaska, United States

Dead Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)
At Moses Point, Northeast of Elim, we found a dead beluga whale.
Elim, Alaska, United States

Our concern has to do with the impact and number of dead whales that might have on our subsistence lifestyle. It is unusual to find so many dead whales.
Old Harbor, 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

Dead Grey Whale
8-7-12 Dead grey whale - Nome, Alaska, USA

Dead Whale
Two dead marine mammals--a fur seal and a whale.
St. George, Alaska, United States

Three dead whales
6-22-12 Three dead whales - Old Harbor, Alaska, USA
Old Harbor, Alaska, USA

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

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

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

3,000 dolphins found dead on the coast of Peru
According to a report from Peru 21, local fishermen in Lambayeque, north Peru, were first to notice the inexplicable rise in dead dolphin appearing on shore -- averaging roughly 30 per day.
Peru
TreeHugger

Polar bears with skin illness

Ringed seal
Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan

Bearded seal
Tayport, Scotland, United Kingdom

Spotted seal
Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan

Spotted seal
Funabashi, Chiba, Japan

Ribbon seal
Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan

Harp seals

Ringed seal
Wrangel Island, Chukotka, Russia

Sick ringed seal

Sick Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina)

Ringed Seal Mortality

Ringed seal stranding and mortality
Point Hope, Alaska, United States

Walruses suffer from similar disease afflicting Alaska ringed seals
Pacific walruses are beaching on Northwest Alaska shores, peppered with bleeding skin legions that have been observed on dying ringed seals in Arctic Alaska, according to federal biologists.

Stranded ringed seals
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States

Mysterious disease killed scores of seals in Alaska
A mysterious disease, possibly a virus, has afflicted ring seals along Alaska's coast, killing scores of them since July, local and federal agencies said on Thursday.
Barrow, Alaska, United States
REUTERS

Mysterious disease takes toll on ringed seals in Alaska Arctic
Biologists are trying to determine what's ailing ringed seals that live off Alaska's Arctic coast. Scores of seals stranded on beaches this summer appeared to have skin lesions, and dozens have died.

Sick Ringed Seal
Koyuk, Alaska, United States

Stranded Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Sick Ringed Seal

Sick Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)

Ringed seal stranding

Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida) Mortality
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada

Seal stranding and mortality

Ice seal mortality
Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada

Ice seal mortality

Ice seal mortality
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Walrus with skin illness

Ringed seal mortality
Uelen, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Stranded seal
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Ringed seal mortality

Ringed seal mortality
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States

Ice Seal Mortality
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States

Ringed Seal Mortality
Wainwright, Alaska, United States

Stranded ringed seals

Ringed seals
Lorino, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus)
Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom

Seal Pup Found near Port Heiden
Unknown seal pup found near Port Heiden.

Dead seals mystery not solved by scientists' tests
Scientists say they've been unable to solve the mystery of dead seals that washed ashore in Labrador between December and January.

Seals are shedding
Arviat, Nunavut

Ringed Seals (Phoca hispida) & Spotted Seals (Phoca largha)
Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Ringed seals
Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Dead Seals
Sanikiluaq, Nunavut

Strange seal behavior
Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut

Strange seal behavior
Churchill Manitoba

Sick seals

Sick Seals
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada

Sick Seals
Coral Harbor, Nunavut, Canada

Permafrost Thaw Threatens Ice Cellars
Arctic food storage system at risk.
Point Hope, Alaska, United States
Jacob Bell, Ryan Brubaker, Mike Brubaker

First Elephant Seal Born at Race Rocks
Ryan has observed a lot of aggression on the part of the young male which had previously been named Misery by Mike Slater. The baby was born beside the helicopter pad, and has spent the first day t…
Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, British Columbia, Canada
Race Rocks Ecological Reserve- Marine mammals, seabirds

Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) swallowing sand and pebbles
I observed some of the sea lions scooping up small rocks and sand (mostly shell carbonates) and swallowing them.
Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada

Too Many Sea Otters?
Some want to be able to kill them again off BC's coast. Part one of a Tyee special report.
Chesterman Beach, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

Se observó una ballena gris albina
Laguna Ojo de Liebre, Baja California Sur
Reserva de la Biósfera El Vizcaíno Guerrero Negro

Spotted seal

California Sea Lions Venture North: Arctic Science Journeys Radio
That's right, California sea lions. As populations of native Steller sea lions decline, Maniscalco says a growing number of California sea lions are showing up on Steller sea lion rookeries and haul-outs across the state. According to his research, some 33 sightings have been recorded. And some of those California sea lions have made their way as far west as the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea.
Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea, United States
Arctic Science Journeys Radio
Doug Schneider, Alaska Sea Grant Program, UAF

Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)

Ringed seal
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Polar bear that walked unprecedented 1,000 km south from Arctic habitat is caught in Yakutia
A young polar bear, likely female, was lured into a specially-made cage by a stack of fish splashed with fish oil after it held a village of Dzhebariki-Khaya under a brief siege. The emaciated predator was stealing dog food and attacking villagers hours before it was snared.
Dzhebariki-Khaya, Sakha, Russia

Australia: Rescuers rush to get stranded whales into the sea
Around 160 long-finned pilot whales washed up on the western Australian coast.Pia Courtis, from PWS said in a statement that a number of rescue agencies were trying to help but "unfortunately the outcome for our pilot whales once they strand on the beach is generally not good."
Dunsborough, Western Australia, Australia

Canada's AG warns Nunavut about dangers of not having a climate change action plan
Nunavut is not prepared to deal with the impacts of climate change and doesn't have a plan to deal with them, according to the latest report by Canada's auditor general.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

Officials warn Iqaluit residents after possible polar bear sighting at territorial park
Officials are investigating a report that a polar bear was sighted at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park in Iqaluit.

Concern for native dolphins after mysterious surge in strandings
"Dolphin strandings have more than tripled in recent years with more than 70 animals washed up dead or dying on Irish beaches since the start of the year."
Ireland
independent

North Slope communities are seeing more polar bears this year
From Point Hope to Kaktovik, North Slope communities saw anywhere from 10 to 15 bears in each village this winter. For the most part, bears are not going into the villages, but in some cases, they come close enough for people to take photos and sometimes, people come too close.
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

Thousands of walruses have settled on a rookery near Tiutei Yaha
On the walrus rookery located at the mouth of the Yamal river Tiutey-Yakha in 2022, up to 4,000 individuals were concentrated at a time. According to scientists, the number of adults and young Atlantic walruses has increased.
Goarctic.ru

Unique behavior with polar bear sow and cub was registered by scientists
The female and cub left the family den a month earlier than usual, which is extremely atypical for these animals. Experts consider this case to be unique - they have not yet encountered such behavior of polar predators.
Wrangall Island Nature Reserve
Prochukotku.ru

Trichinella alert for Sanikiluaq
The Department of Health is advising residents of Sanikiluaq that a walrus harvested on September 19, 2022, has tested positive for trichinella.
Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, Canada

Polar bear sightings prompt North Slope officials to encourage precautions among residents
Officials are encouraging the public to be safe, report polar bears in the area and never approach the animals, which can be “dangerous and unpredictable.”

Beluga whalers in Northwest Alaska, North Slope boast a great 2021 season
With relatively calm summer weather, an Utqiagvik crew landed at least 11 beluga whales this season, Wainwright was lucky to caught 50, and Kotzebue Sound saw the second-highest harvest in more than a decade, according to local hunters.

France mulls rescue plan for whale in River Seine
They say the animal is currently near a lock at Vernon, about 70km (43 miles) north-west of Paris.Experts are puzzled as to why the animal has strayed so far south from its natural habitat.
Vernon, Normandy, France

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.
The Daily Chronicle

Lack of food drives away southern resident killer whales
The southern resident killer whales who returned to their traditional summer feeding grounds in the Salish Sea on Tuesday and Wednesday after a long absence have apparently left again, and although most of the members of J-, K- and L-Pods appeared to be healthy, at least one may be close to starvation.

Helicopter deployed to scare aggressive polar bears from reindeer settlements on Yamal peninsula
Seven polar bears, including a wounded mother bear with two cubs, were scared away by rescuers after they got dangerously close to reindeer herders at several locations on the Yamal peninsula. There are concern over rising numbers of the Arctic’s largest predators leaving their natural habitat and coming closer to humans.

A record number of Atlantic walruses recorded in the Russian Arctic
According to preliminary data, more than seven thousand walruses were recorded, which is two times as many as last year. This was also when the largest walrus habitat in the history of Arctic exploration was found on the northernmost island of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the Eva-Liv island.
Franz Josef Land
The Independent Barents Observer

Spring bounty: Utqiagvik landed 10 whales in less than two weeks
This early in spring, the season usually only starts, but the weather patterns have been changing, and so has been the harvest time, Donovan said.

Lone beluga whale spotted on Yukon River near Tanana
Spirit camp participants and residents along the Yukon River were shocked to see a lone beluga whale on the Yukon River in early August.
Rampart, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fishermen of the Chukotka village of Uelen accidentally caught a dolphin
Fishermen in the Chukotka village of Uelen unexpectedly caught a dolphin, an unusual event given the region's typical marine life, sparking interest and discussion among local observers and experts.
Uelen, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Walruses held captive by Killer whales near Provideniya
A group of about 30 walruses have been observed by residents of providence village in Emma Bay for the past few days. As the specialists of the Beringia National Park specified, killer whales drove marine mammals there, Chukotka news agency reports.
Provideniya, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

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