Why have 30 whales died in a matter of months in the Gulf of Alaska? Federal probe is launched into the mysterious deaths

• NOAA Fisheries declared the deaths an 'unusual mortality event
• The deaths are about three times the historical average for the region
• There is speculation the deaths could be due to harmful algal bloom toxins
• Officials urged the public to report any sightings of dead whales

By ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER and DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 11:13 EST, 21 August 2015 | UPDATED: 13:06 EST, 21 August 2015

A federal agency has announced plans for a more intense investigation into what caused the deaths of 30 large whales since May in the western Gulf of Alaska.

NOAA Fisheries declared the deaths an 'unusual mortality event,' triggering a new-level investigation starting on Thursday that brings with it access to additional resources. 

The agency said the deaths are about three times the historical average for the region.

Julie Speegle, a spokeswoman for NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, said a leading hypothesis for the deaths is harmful algal bloom toxins but she noted that there currently is no conclusive evidence linking the two. 

Officials have only been able to get samples from one of the 30 whales. 

Teri Rowles, NOAA Fisheries' marine mammal health and stranding response coordinator said that large-scale whale deaths are among the toughest to investigate, partly because the carcasses often are floating, rarely beached and difficult to access for examination.

In Alaska, bears feeding on washed-up whale carcasses create safety concerns for researchers who want to collect samples, she said. 

Without being able to conduct a more complete necropsy, scientists and researchers can look at such things as environmental factors, historical information and mortality among seabirds or other sea creatures to try to get a better sense of what is going on, Rowles said. 

But they are limited in what they can do without better access to the carcasses, she said.

Officials urged the public to report any sightings of dead whales or distressed animals that they encounter. 

The agency plans to work with colleagues in Canada, where six large whales have been reported dead off the coast of British Columbia since May - five of those this month. 

Rowles said: 'NOAA Fisheries scientists and partners are very concerned about the large number of whales stranding in the western Gulf of Alaska in recent months.'

'While we do not yet know the cause of these strandings, our investigations will give us important information on the health of whales and the ecosystems where they live. Members of the public can greatly assist the investigation by immediately reporting any sightings of dead whales or distressed live animals they discover.' 

Necropsies were conducted on two of the more recent carcasses, and the results are pending, said Paul Cottrell, marine mammals coordinator for the Pacific region of Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

According to NOAA, experts from the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events, part of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, found that the high number of large whale strandings in the western Gulf of Alaska met the criteria for focused resources and research, and recommended the NOAA declaration.

Rowles said this does not appear to be a 'coast-wide' event at this point, noting that large whale deaths have not increased during the same timeframe near California, Washington and Oregon as they have very locally in the western Gulf of Alaska. 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3206223/Federal-probe-launc... 

Invasion of spiders leave villages in Argentina blanketed in cobwebs known as 'slime of the devil'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3206247/Invasion-spiders-le...

An entire town has been blanketed by a gooey layer of spider webs known locally as 'slime of the devil' that has even covered areas of water.
The blanket appeared after an army of spiders suddenly invaded the El Destino area, a collection of rural villages and hamlets which are some 10 miles from the city of Lezama in Argentina.
Once there, they instantly started building webs adding to the threads already used by the spiders to parachute into the area.
The spiders use the threads to fly on the breeze and can travel several kilometres to safe ground in the process known as ballooning.
Some images shot by locals and posted online shows thousands of spiders which they say wove a dense fabric on trees, poles and traffic signs.

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/thousands-of-fish-found-dea...

Thousands of fish found dead in Irish river due to ‘chemical leak’, Irish Independent

21/08/2015 | 13:19

Whale washes up on Back Beach at Angourie over the weekend.

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/dead-whale-on-the-nose/2750840/

LOCAL authorities will leave the stinking carcass of a whale washed up on Back Beach at Angourie to the ghost crabs and other organisms.

Media officer for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Lawrence Orel said National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers investigating the scene had decided to let nature take its course.

The dead whale, which has been partially eaten by sharks, washed up on the beach on Saturday.

Mr Orel said the ghost crabs and other beach organisms would quickly finish what the sharks had started.

"It's already partially buried by the natural action on the beach," he said.

"There's only two or three square metres of it still visible."

Mr Orel said the evidence of shark activity on the whale's body had to be expected.

"Sharks do a good job in the wild eating the bodies of animals that died in the ocean, cleaning up the eco-system," he said.

Mr Orel said it was hard to say how long it could take for the body to completely disappear.

"It's hard to say accurately, but it won't be too long," he said.

"It can depend a bit on the wave and sea action, but once the crabs get to work on it, the remains tend to disappear pretty quickly."

In other marine news a local surfer has reported seeing a large shark in the water off Turners Beach at Yamba.

Bowhead whale found dead, beached near Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. Canada

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/bowhead-whale-found-dead-beache...

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is investigating after a bowhead whale was found dead on the Northwest Territories' Arctic coastline.

The cause of the whale's death is so far undetermined but there is no reason to link it to 30 dead whales found this summer in Alaska and six found off Britis..., said a spokesperson for the department in an email.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada received a report of a beached bowhead whale near Toker Point, about 25 kilometres north of Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., last Thursday.

Lois Harwood, a biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, says beachcast bowheads are not uncommon in the region, with 24 on record between 1987 and 2014.

"It's not unusual to get one or two reported in a year, particularly when they're these smaller ones because it's likely that it's related to juvenile mortality," she said.

She said the whale was estimated to be about four years old.

Inuvik-area Fisheries and Oceans staff have taken samples from the carcass. They hope to confirm the whale's age but cause of death may be difficult to determine because of decomposition. ‎

Whale washed ashore in Clare will be allowed to decompose (Ireland)

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/whale-washed-ashore-will-be-al...

A Minke whale, washed ashore in north Clare 13 days ago, will be allowed to decompose naturally rather than being removed by the authorities.

The mature whale was roughly six metres long and was estimated to weigh in excess of six tonnes.

The female mammal came in with the tide on August 12, at an area known as Hayes Hole between Doolin and Liscannor. Located at a difficult-to-reach spot, it is close to a popular bathing area at Clahane. The county council said it would be impossible to remove an animal of that size from an inaccessible location.

Experts from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) have examined the whale and advised that the carcass did not currently pose a risk to public health.

The council said it intends to leave the carcass untouched and ‘let nature take its course’ by allowing the massive carcass to be removed through decomposition and tidal erosion.

“The whale is inaccessible and therefore the council is unable to remove it using the type of heavy machinery required, like a tracked excavator. It is not practicable to dispose of the animal in-situ either as the window of opportunity is very limited as high tide covers the animal,” said a council spokesperson.

“The council has not received any calls to either the Ennistymon or Kilrush office regarding the whale and does not believe it is causing any nuisance.”

Minke whales can live for up to 50 years but the dead female was thought to be much younger than that.

According to Dr Simon Berrow of the IWDG, the whale appears well constituted with no apparent cause of death. The IWDG has been campaigning for autopsies to be carried out on a selection of whales which came ashore for the past decade.

“We don’t carry out postmortems on whale at the moment even though it is something that we at the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group have been calling for for a number of years now. We wouldn’t need to perform one on every beached whale, just on a small sample.

“This would give us some indication of why these animals are dying and if they are being affected by any unnatural factors,” said Dr Berrow. “If it’s not on a public beach or isn’t a danger to public health, then there is no harm in letting the carcass decompose as it normally would.

“A lot of local authorities spend a lot of money removing these massive carcasses and shipping them away to have them incinerated. If they are not a nuisance or a public health risk, then incinerating them is just a waste of money.”

Giant whale washed up along southern Iranian coast

http://presstv.ir/Detail/2015/08/24/426174/Iran-whale-body-Bushehr

The decomposing body of a whale is washed up on a beach in southern Iran, with experts providing conflicting accounts on why the giant creature has died.

Iranian media said Monday that the animal was spotted a few days ago on a beach near the port city of Dayyer in southwestern province of Bushehr, a first such incidence in decades in the gas-rich area.

Experts have begun assessing how the animal had actually died while people were also pondering what would be the best way to dispose of the large beast.

The head of the local environment department said biometric and sampling tests have been carried out on the carcass of the whale, showing that the animal died after hitting a big vessel.

Abdullah Najafi did not elaborate whether there were broken bones or hemorrhaging visible on the body of the whale which could prove a ship strike. He said the animal is 13.30 meter long (43.6 feet) and has a weight of around 8 tons.

However, Mostafa Hushmand, an environment activist who walked nearly two kilometers on foot to reach the decomposed body, said the whale may have died due to “malnutrition” as his body mass was at least four tons less than the normal levels. He did not rule out hunting attempts to catch the creature as he claimed traces of rope were visible on the body.

Hushmand said the best way to dispose of the body would be to lay it on the beach as the place is at least 15 kilometers off the closest residential area and the stinking wouldn’t cause problems for the people. He said the site would be equipped with a GPS to enable environmental officials to spot the skeleton to be moved to a museum at a later time.

Warm ocean leads to coastal birds dying of starvation

http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2015/08/25/warm-ocean-leads-to-coasta...

MANZANITA, Ore. -- Hundreds of birds are washing ashore either dead or dying along the Oregon and Southwest Washington Coast.

The majority of them are common murres, which are a type of large auk bird.

Researchers say that the die-off started about three weeks ago.

Since then the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, which helps rehabilitate sick or injured sea-birds, has been getting calls daily about the problem. Right now - they are caring for close to a hundred birds- with about ten common murres coming in daily. Almost all of them are starving.

"They're totally emaciated, sometimes there's injuries, other times there's not," said Laurel Berblinger, a volunteer at the center.

According to the biologists, the fish the birds normally eat are not there.

Because of the El Nino weather phenomenom that is happening across the Pacific, scientists say the ocean is just too warm right now.

"It really limits the productivity of the ocean from the base level so in the case of the common murre which feeds on small fish, these are not as plentiful as they normally are during a normal ocean condition year," explained Herman Biederbeck, ODFW biologist for the north coast.

The experts say if you do see a dying bird, or one in need of help, call the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But with so many dead birds along the beaches now, it's important to keep children and dogs away from them because some of the birds could be diseased.

Biologists say they are bracing for a lot more of this. They say this die-off could easily stretch into the fall.

Dead beached whale winched out, Poland

The first crane brought in on Tuesday morning turned out to be too weak to lift the dead aquatic mammal.

However, the second machine completed the task. It was no easy feat however, as gases which had accumulated inside the animal over the last couple of warm days posed a risk of the whale exploding.

Marine biologists from the station on Hel Peninsula were called out on Saturday to deal with the dead whale washed up on one of the sandbanks near the locality of Stegna, eastwards of Gdańsk.

It is suspected that this might be the humpback seen some months ago in the Gulf of Gdańsk.

The conditions in the partly shallow gulf are far too difficult for whales, and this one probably couldn't find its way out on to the open water

Tropical Ocean Fish Moving into Vancouver Island Waters (Aug 23)

A large sunfish that washed up off northern Vancouver Island this weekend is just one of several tropical species observed recently.

Ocean sunfish are tropical creatures that seek warmth and yet one was spotted last week near Bella Bella. On Sunday, a lighthouse keeper discovered a dead one washed up on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

They are here because their warm water range is expanding north.

The pool of warm water they inhabit–which scientists have dubbed “the blob”– has been growing in the Gulf of Alaska because the last two winters have been too mild to produce the typical big windy storms needed to disperse it.

Sunfish aren’t the only species taking advantage of the situation.

The finescale triggerfish, which typically spends time in coral and rocky reefs, was recorded for the first time in B.C. waters last fall, according to the Royal B.C. Museum. “That’s what we call a first record or an unusual something that hasn’t been seen,” Perry said.

Gavin Hanke, the museum’s curator of vertebrate zoology, said the specimen was healthy when it was found near Brooks Peninsula on the northern Island. “It was perfectly happy and surviving here, from the account of its collection,” Hanke said.

Up to six feet long, the aggressive Humboldt squid normally hunt in the waters off Mexico but they have been spotted off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Large schools of mackerel could also spell bad news for many local species.

“These warm water species may be eating the same food,” said Dewey. “The Chinook that are coming back now, they want to feed on herring, but these mackerel are also feeding on the herring.”

Mackerel and Humboldt squid also feed on juvenile salmon and it’s a situation that Dewey finds concerning and deeply fascinating.

“You have the ripple-on effects that it may not be a sustainable mode for the environment or the habitat or the fish, so we’re concerned for that, but as a scientist you’re always excited when something really extraordinary happens.”

Sources

http://globalnews.ca/news/2183656/ocean-sunfish-spotted-in-b-c-wate...

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/blob-lures-more-tropical-fi...

http://globalnews.ca/news/2170206/watch-rare-sunfish-observed-in-th...

Extreme Arctic sea ice melt forces thousands of walruses ashore in Alaska

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/27/walruses-alaska-...

Survival of walruses threatened as they wash ashore on a remote barrier island just before Obama is due to visit region to draw attention to climate change.

The extreme loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change is forcing thousands of walruses to crowd ashore on a remote barrier island off Alaska, and threatening their survival.

Barack Obama will be the first US president to visit the Alaskan Arctic on 31 August on a three-day tour to draw attention to the drastic consequences of climate change for the Arctic, such as warming winters and the rapid retreat of sea ice.

The first reported sighting of animals forced to come ashore in the Chukchi Sea was by a photographer on 23 August, and confirmed by villagers in the remote hamlet of Point Lay late on Thursday, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.

Such landings, forced by the absence of sea ice on which to rest and feed, put the animals at risk of stampede in the limited space of the barrier island.

The animals are easily spooked by aircraft or onlookers, government scientists warned. Trampling deaths are one of the biggest natural risks.

Sea ice cover in the winter months fell to a new low this year because of climate change and abnormal weather patterns.

Some scientists believe the Arctic could be entirely ice-free in the summer months by the 2030s – with profound effects for local indigenous communities that rely on the ice, as well as wildlife that depend on extreme conditions.

Since 2000, the forced migration of walruses and their young to barrier islands such as Point Lay – known as a “haul out” – has become an increasingly regular occurrence, according to US government scientists.

“Many walruses seem to prefer the barrier islands just north of the native village of Point Lay to haul out,” Jim MacCracken, a supervisory wildlife biologist with the fish and wildlife service, said.

Last year, as many as 40,000 animals, mainly females and their young, were forced ashore. It was the biggest known haul-out of its kind in the US Arctic, according to government scientists. The Federal Aviation Authority re-routed flights and bush pilots were told to keep their distance to avoid a stampede.

Agency scientists said about 60 young walruses were killed because of crowding and stampedes.

“Walruses often flee haulouts in response to the sight, sound, or odor of humans or machines. Walruses are particularly sensitive to changes in engine noise and are more likely to stampede off beaches when planes turn or fly low overhead,” Andrea Medeiros, a spokeswoman for the fish and wildlife service, said in an email.

The villagers have been dreading the prospect of a repeat record haul-out – and earlier this month appealed to outsiders to keep away from the area.

“We do not believe that these sorts of visits are in the best interest of the walruses and they do not align with the haul out protection role we have developed and measures we set in place to prevent disturbances,” Leo Ferreira III, the Point Lay tribal president said in a statement distributed by US government agencies.

Gary Braasch, an environmental photographer, said he first spotted the walruses coming ashore on the southern end of the barrier island, about two miles from the hamlet of Point Lay, on the evening of 23 August.

https://yamkin.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/thousands-of-fish-found-dea...

Thousands of fish found dead in a river in Haltern, Germany

August 31, 2015

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/13638588.Mystery_fish_kill_on_the...

Mystery fish kill on the Leadon

09:29 Tuesday 1 September 2015

INVESTIGATIONS are ongoing into a mystery, localised fish kill on a stretch of the River Leadon, near Dymock.

Dead fish were spotted along a two mile stretch, at Ryton and Ketford, around two weeks ago.

Environment Agency officers arrived on the scene to investigate.

This followed a call by a concerned member of the public.

Water samples were taken and these are currently being analysed.

One concerned local farmer, Malcolm Stallard, said he had seen around fifty dead fish on the surface, including a small salmon.

A stretch of around half a mile appears to have been particularly affected. continues.........

http://www.newsjs.com/url.php?p=www.thefreepress.ca/news/323507491....

Dead fish found on Lake Koocanusa

updated Aug 31, 2015 at 2:12 PM

http://www.sportsgrid.com/olympic-sports/theyre-still-hauling-tons-...

They’re Still Hauling Tons Of Dead Fish From Polluted Rio Olympic Lake

7:30 pm, September 2nd, 2015

Official Rio de Janiero 2016 Olympics press release: These poor fish died of old age. It certainly has nothing to do with pollution — all rowers, kayakers, etc., should prepare for their events as normal, because our water venues are as crystal clear as a high Sierra trout stream and those rashes on your arms are just from your shampoo.

It’s 11 months to the Rio Summer Olympics, and the water venues are still places that Andy Dufrense wouldn’t swim through to escape Shawshank Prison. Back in April, the Associated Press had experts test the water in the lakes and lagoons in question, and it found dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria. Many athletes who are training there have fallen ill, some with serious skin conditions.

Every summer there is a huge fish dieoff in Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepagua Lagoon, which will play host to many events. That’s due to the sewage and other pollutants there and in nearby lakes. This year is no different, even though the Rio Olympic Committee promised that it would be cleaned up up by now. But as of this past weekend, they were still hauling dead fish out of the Olympic lakes and lagoons.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/602480/Blue-whale-sighting-Bri...

Blue whale sighted in British waters for first time in history

THE largest creature that ever lived has been photographed for the first time in British waters.

http://strangesounds.org/2015/09/apocalyptical-hailstorm-kills-300-...

Nowadays, hailstorms are destructive… killer storms.

The latest in date killed over 300 flamingoes in the region of Albacete, Spain.

Fierce hailstorms have affected numerous regions of Spain over the past week.

One of these hailstorms hit the saltwater lagoon of Pétrola, where hailstones killed at least 300 flamingoes.

In 2010, another apocalyptical hailstorm killed about 80 birds.

http://www.itv.com/news/border/2015-09-10/serious-pollution-leak-ki...

Hundreds of Tropical Eel Wash Ashore in Ontario Canada (Sep 11)

A mystery is unfolding in Wasaga Beach after hundreds of strange eel washed ashore near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River.

“I have never seen this before,” said Rick Baldry with the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association.

“This is something completely foreign to my eyes and probably everyone else's eyes around here.”

The eels have not been positively identified, but appear to be a type of peacock eel that are native to the tropical waters in Thailand, India and Burma and can grow to be almost 40 centimetres long.

Baldry is concerned the eels were released into the wild here and considering the numbers they must have reproduced.

“How did they get here, that's the real concern,” he said.

On Thursday frozen samples of the eels were handed over to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) for detailed examination.

Officials with the MNRF say this is the first known report of peacock eels in the Great Lakes.

According to the MNRF, the eels are not considered and invasive species because they are a tropic fish that can't survive the winter here to establish a population.

Source

http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/mysterious-eels-wash-up-on-wasaga-beach-sh...

Another Rare Oarfish Found Near San Diego Beach (Sep 8)

A rarely seen sea creature caused quite a stir along Shell Beach in La Jolla.

This marks the 8th time this year the extremely rare deep sea fish has been found near shore.

The body of a 10-foot long oarfish was found floating in the water. It's not yet known how the fish died or how it ended up near the beach. Oarfish live at depths of up to 3,000 feet and are capable of growing 50 feet long.

Source

http://www.cbs8.com/story/30029691/rare-oarfish-found-dead-in-the-s...

More on the oarfish that washed ashore near San Diego on Sep 8th -

Another specimen of the “less rare all the time” oarfish has been found washing ashore at Shell Beach in La Jolla, California.  Lifeguards spotted the large fish and called in a crew from SIO and NMFS who collected the specimen for further study back at their lab.

Today they shared more pictures of the dissection of the 17-feet long fish that weighed about 260-pounds according to the Coastal Angler Tagging Cooperative Facebook site.  The otiliths or ear bones were collected along with many other samples for future study.

The cause of death, was still unknown and will be very difficult to pin down.

Source

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/shell-beach-oarfish-may-help-unlock-secrets/

Central Texas besieged by cricket swarm after unseasonable chill tells them it's time to mate

• Central Texas and the Austin area are being plagued by swarms of sex-crazed crickets after temperatures dipped over the weekend
• The plague is bigger than usual this year thanks to the soaking rains that inundated Central Texas earlier this year
• Residents of the area are suddenly seeing buildings blanketed in tens of thousands of the bugs

By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER

Central Texas and the Austin area are being plagued by swarms of sex-crazed crickets.

It's mating time for the frisky little chirpers and experts believe this year's season will be bring a particularly nasty onslaught due to the stormy summer's deluge.

The plague has also come a little earlier than usual this year thanks to unseasonably low temperatures in the Austin area. 

The crickets are tipped off that it's time to mate when temperatures begin to dip in the fall and temperatures in the region have recently dipped into the 60s.

Residents of the area are suddenly seeing buildings blanketed in tens of thousands of the bugs.

'They love...any place that has bright lights at night,' Brian Kelly of ABC Pest Control told KEYE.

Lucky for Austin residents, that means the bugs are less attracted to homes since they tend to be darker at night than public and commercial buildings.

'Every year is different,' said Kelly. 'We're thinking it's going to be a pretty heavy season.'

The unusually bad cricket season can be traced to the extremely wet summer in Texas, experts believe. 

Field cricket have a noxious odor and shrieking chirp. They also have a tendency toward cannibalism so killing them only makes things worse. The insects tend to congregate and feed on carcasses of their dead brethren. 

The crickets lay their eggs and crawl out en masse once it’s time for mating.

Though the creatures can be tough to get rid of, experts suggest a few tricks that might ease the problem somewhat, including: eliminating piles of woods or debris from around homes and applying aerosol bug killer to baseboards and door thresholds to control them

‘Crickets commonly spend the daylight hours hiding in dark, damp areas. Eliminating piles of bricks, stones, wood or other debris around the home will help reduce numbers,’ said Grantham. ‘aerosols applied to baseboards, door thresholds and cracks and crevices where crickets hide will normally control them.’

In addition to incessant chirping that can last deep into the night and early morning, some say the crickets even stink like rotted meat.

They eventually die back, but not until a month to around eight weeks after infestations begin.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3242238/Central-Texas-besie... 

http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/n0415-danger-of-met...

Danger of methane explosions on Yamal Peninsula, scientists warn

A new expedition to one of the mysterious Siberian giant holes found in recent years has concluded that it is a warning sign of a deadly threat to northern regions as the climate warms. 

Scientists from the respected Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics insist the process by which a series of craters formed was caused by the melting of gas hydrates and the emission of methane.

This accumulates in a pingo - a mound of earth-covered ice - which then erupts causing the formation of the strange holes that have appeared on Russia's Arctic fringe.

A pingo believed to be poised to explode 'at any moment' is now being constantly monitored by a Russian space satellite in an attempt to catch the moment when the eruption occurs.

They believe the process is similar to the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon which saw the disappearance of of ships and aircraft. This was caused by a vast eruption of methane below the Atlantic Ocean. The scientists also warn of a dire threat to both towns and cities in the extreme north, and natural gas exploration facilities and associated pipelines.

Dr Igor Yeltsov, deputy director of the Trofimuk Institute, said in Novosibirsk after a visit to the most famous of the newly-formed craters: 'In the last decades, temperatures have climbed and caused the release of gas hydrates. This resembles a nuclear reaction. 

'Last year I compared it with the Bermuda Triangle, because, according to our theory, the cause of this is a mass yield of methane. The volume of methane during transition from a solid to a gaseous state increases about 150 times. The Yamal hole is a unique object for science. We did not have any chance to study such phenomenon before. 

'The importance of the study increases if we take into account that six kilometres from the crater is a main gas pipeline, and 36 kilometres away is the Bovanenkovo gas deposit.' Such eruptions 'can easily repeat', he warned. 

'We need follow closely the processes with permafrost and gas hydrates on Yamal,' he said. 'We underestimate the danger that methane brings to us.' The risks to coalmines of methane are well appreciated yet but it carries far wider dangers. 

Orange Bass Caught in Florida (Sep 21)

Largemouth bass are green, right?

Pugar Gheen was fishing at Fox Lake in Titusville this summer when he caught an orange largemouth bass. This fish has an extremely rare genetic anomaly called xanthism. Xanthism causes the pigments in some animals to turn orange, similar to the way albinism causes a lack of pigment.

To put its rarity into perspective, the FWC has sampled 255,632 largemouth bass from 175 different water bodies over a 10-year period and have no reported sightings of this genetic phenomenon.

In fact, the only sighting that the FWC freshwater fisheries researchers have of these orange bass is one photo from an electrofishing trip nearly 30 years ago!

Sources

http://www.wtsp.com/story/life/2015/09/21/orange-largemouth-bass-fl...

http://www.fishingwithpiotr.com/fishing-fish/fish-identification-la...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3249204/Residents-near-Cali...

Residents near California lake face stench of thousands of rotting fish carcasses after water mysteriously drains overnight

• Walker Lake, a 5,800-acre reservoir in northern California, drained early this month
• Thousands of bass, perch and catfish died when water disappeared a day after residents had been fishing on the lake, and now leave a foul smell
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company has water rights to the reservoir and stopped using it in March, but said it did not open dam to drain it
• Residents expect the lake to refill with rain, though complain that the fish could have been saved if action was taken sooner 

Residents near a northern California lake are left with nothing but the rotting carcasses of dead fish after the reservoir mysteriously lost all its water overnight.

The Mountain Meadow reservoir, also known as Walker Lake, was a popular spot for fishing before its 5,800 acres dried up the weekend of September 12.

Now thousands of fish are dead and those used to relaxing near the water near the city of Susanville face a putrid stench.

''It's amazing how many people have come out to see the destruction,' local Eddy Bauer, 56, said. 'My wife, for instance, was holding her nose, can't even stand the smell'.

Stench: Thousands of dead fish now lay on the muddy surface of what used to be a lake in northern California after the reservoir's water mysteriously vanished

Empty: One resident said that there were two weeks left of water at Mountain Meadows reservoir near Susanville before the lake suddenly drained 'like a bath tub' earlier this month

Water rights to the lake are owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which says that no one opened up the dam holding back the reservoir and the water simply ran out.

'It’s the situation we worked hard to avoid but the reality is we’re in a very serious drought, there’s also concerns for the fish downstream,' PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said.

He told KTVN that the company stopped using water from the reservoir in March after deciding that there was not enough left for 2015. 

With PG&E saying that it didn't open the dam to downstream, it remains uncertain how the water left the lake, where people had been fishing a day before it went dry.

Bauer said he estimated that there were two weeks worth of water left right before it drained. 

Questions: The hydroelectric company Pacific Gas and Electric denies opening the dam to drain the lake. However, resident Eddy Bauer, 56, said that something could have been done to save the fish

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3251275/TWELVE-FOOT-great-w...

TWELVE-FOOT great white shark washes up on Cape Cod beach

• The male was discovered dead on Pleasant Bay Beach in Harwich late Saturday night
• Officials performed a necropsy Sunday but said it was unlikely the cause of the shark's death would ever be determined

A full-grown great white shark washed up on a Cape Cod beach this weekend and officials are stumped as to how it ended up dead on land.

The 12-foot male was found late Saturday on Pleasant Road Beach in Harwich, Mass. and, while it was dead when it was discovered, it was unclear whether it washed up that way.

'It's different from the last two situations where the shark was still alive,' Cynthia Wingren, president of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, told the Cape Cod Times.

Monster: A full-grown great white shark washed up on a Cape Cod beach this weekend and officials are stumped as to how it ended up dead on land.

During New England's beach season earlier this year, two strandings of white sharks occurred on Cape Cod. In both cases, beachgoers dragged the stranded animal back to the water. One survived, the other died.

On Sunday, state shark researcher Greg Skomal performed a necropsy in an attempt to determine the shark's cause of death.

However, the investigation came up empty. 

'We're not going to be able to tell the cause of death,' he said. 'I don't think there's anything unusual about it.' 

Mystery: The 12-foot male was found late Saturday on Pleasant Road Beach in Harwich, Mass. and, while it was dead when it was discovered, it was unclear whether it washed up that way

Unsolved: 'We're not going to be able to tell the cause of death,' said state shark researcher Greg Skomal. 'I don't think there's anything unusual about it.'

Rare Australian jellyfish carried to California coast by El Nino

• The Australian spotted jellies normally reside in the waters of the western Pacific
• Dozens of the slightly venomous invertebrates were were spotted just of the coast of Chula Vista on Thursday
• Experts says it's likely the drifting jellies rode all the way to California from eastern Australia on the back of El Nino-powered currents 

A rare species of jellyfish that usually lives in the western Pacific has shown up on California's shores and experts suspect it's yet another sign of the year's major El Nino event.

Dozens of Australian Spotted Jellies were seen in the waters just off Chula Vista south of San Diego on Thursday.

The invertebrates, which are relatively harmless to humans, may have hitched a ride clear across the Pacific on the back of unusually warm El Nino currents. 

Education and Guest Experience Manager Elizabeth Argyle at the Living Coast Discovery Center, where the jellies are being temporarily housed, speculated about the possibility to NBC News.

'During an El Nino year, there's usually warm water currents that come across our Pacific Ocean and that can bring other organism such as these jellyfish, which are kind of a drifter and kind of at the mercy of a current,' Argyle said.

However, that's far from a fully fleshed-out origin story for the jellies, which can grow to the size of dinner plates.

'What they're doing here is kind of a mystery,' said Argyle, who added that the unusually high water temperatures are undoubtedly allowing the jellyfish to survive in the normally chilly waters. 'The reason they are surviving is because South San Diego Bay has warm waters in the area.' 

In early September, federal forecasters upgraded this year's El Nino to an unusual strong status, but said it's probably not a record breaker or drought buster.

Mike Halpert, deputy director of the federal Climate Prediction Center, said the current worldwide weather shifting event doesn't match the monster El Nino of 1997-1998, nor is it likely to.

With even warmer waters in the central Pacific in August, the hottest in more than 17 years, the prediction center moved the El Nino up from moderate status. 

So far the El Nino is the third strongest on record, behind 1997-98 and a weird one in 1987-88 that peaked early.

Meteorologists said strong El Ninos usually dump heavy rains on southern California, but its four-year water deficit is too big to be erased in one wet winter.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3251341/Rare-Australian-jel... 

http://www.plainvillecitizen.com/home/top/7827090-129/fishing-derby...

Fishing derby canceled due to fish kill

Thousands of Dead Fish Wash Ashore in Saudi Arabia (Sep 30)

It was fish tsunami as thousands of dead fish washed ashore on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi officials say they are investigating the incident and trying to find out why the fish died.

Source

http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/25824/Video-Thousands-of-dead-fish...

http://www.sott.net/article/303242-Thousans-of-dead-fish-wash-up-on...

Thousands of dead fish wash up on British Virgin Islands

Dead fish

On Friday morning, thousands of dead fish lay in the sun along Handsome Bay, Virgin Gorda, as frigate birds circled overhead and pelicans and seagulls perched on nearby rocks.
Other dead sea creatures on the shoreline included eels, a six-foot-long shark, lobsters, parrot fish and blowfish, to name a few.
Environmental officials believe the culprit was sargassum seaweed, which covered much of the bay on Friday and which has also been blamed for VG's water shut-off this week.
In recent months, Handsome Bay has been among the areas hardest hit by the seaweed, and residents have held several cleanups there in part to battle the sulfur smell emitted by the decaying vegetation.
On Friday, the dead fish were in larger numbers along the southwest side of the bay near the Taddy Bay Airport. On the other side, near the Handsome Bay Desalination Plant, the sulfur smell wasn't as strong, but a 14-foot-wide barrier of sargassum lined the beach.
Several bloated sea creatures with bulging eyes were entangled in the thick mat of seaweed.

Handsome Bay, Virgin Gorda

Sheriece Smith, an information officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, said Friday that officials believe the fish kill resulted from oxygen depletion caused by the sargassum. More information will be forthcoming soon, Ms. Smith added.
The seaweed is also responsible for water lock-offs on VG since at least Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Communications and Works.
"A technical team was dispatched to the water plant in Virgin Gorda and reported that the vast amount of seaweed in the bay has caused the plant's desalination process to become dysfunctional as a result of the thick seaweed film," according to an MCW statement issued Thursday.
The ministry added that a team had been mobilised to

Migrating Birds Drop Dead in Nashville TN (Oct 1)

Dozens of dead birds were discovered all over a west Nashville church ground’s property Thursday morning.

The birds were scattered across Highland Park Church’s parking lot, sidewalks and roof.

Church members, animal lovers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services were all called to the property after the discovery was made.

“We pulled into the parking lot and all over the place there were little green things. The birds were on their way down from Canada. It was a sea of green on the ground and asphalt with green spots on it,” church member Greg Levenduski said.

According to Tarcila Fox of the Nashville Ornithological Society, the birds were migrating south.

“I’m sad. I am very sad,” Fox said. “That just shows there were a lot of birds migrating last night.”

“I’m afraid it’s happening more often. Not only is this happening here but it’s happening all over the USA and these migrating birds are decreasing in numbers,” Fox said.

Source

http://wkrn.com/2015/10/01/birds-migrating-south-found-dead-at-west...

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/10/08/thousands-dead-fish-hit-t...

The shocking discovery of thousands of dead fish washing up on a Texas beach south of Houston has local officials and fishermen expressing concern. The

cause of the mysterious fish death is not known at this time.

Freeport, Texas, is home to beaches normally filled with weekend vacationers and fisherman. The discovery of thousands of dead fish washing up on the beach for no apparent reason, that may change for the near future.

The dead fish were found from the mouth of the Brazos River to several hundred yards up the beach, according to Click2Houston NBC. One need only follow their nose to find the devastating scene.

“As I made my way down there I could tell there was an abundant smell as well,” Freeport City Manager Gilbert Arispe told reporter Keith Garvin. “The sheer amount when I got there, it was shocking.”

While no confirmation of the cause of the fish kill has been determined, local fishermen and city officials suspect red tide algae. Red tide is a naturally produced algae that robs the water of oxygen needed for animal life in the water. It also adds toxins to the water, Garvin reported.

Officials are quick to assure the public that the beaches and water are safe for humans, but the city has requested people to stay away for the time being.

Fishermen also expressed concern as game fish have also been spotted on the beaches. Garvin reported sightings of flounder and trout on the beaches.

“Lots of dead fish, hardly any bait in the water,” Cameron Duhon of Freeport told Garvin. “The fish are few and far between. The fishing ain’t no good right now.”

Duhon predicted it could take months, or even up to two years to rebuild fishing to the levels of just a few weeks ago. “Because all the game fish washing in,” Duhon explained, “the population’s going to have to build back up right here.”

Another fisherman, Tyler Byrne told Garvin “If it keeps up it’s going to get worse and worse, start killing everything.”

Officials from Texas Parks and Wildlife are expected to arrive on the scene Thursday to begin an investigation as to the actual cause of the fish kill. Garvin reported that red tide has been confirmed at other locations further down the Texas coast, including the Corpus Christi area and South Padre Island.

On Monday, Texas Parks and Wildlife reported their investigation of other fish kills. One suck fish kill occurred on the beaches of Portland, Texas. Ingleside Cove also reported dead fish washing up on beaches. The agency’s website lists other reports of red tide along Texas beaches.

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2015/10/west-coast-marine-life-disaster...

Thursday, 15 October 2015

West coast marine life disaster has spread to the Gulf: Nearly 20 tons of dead fish wash up dead along Mexico and Texas beaches this week

Ecosystem is now failing along the Gulf Of Mexico as well as the west coast of America as more than 14 tons of dead fish wash up at Tamaulipas beaches in Mexico
Last week The Big Wobble reported thousands upon thousands of Shad, Flounder and Trout had washed ashore at Freeport Texas as a new fish kill baffles experts...It came only days after at least three tonnes of dead fish washed ashore, not too far away on Mexican beaches with the total expected to rise in the coming days due to red tide algae. See here
A red tide algae bloom is thought to be responsible for the death of 14 tons of dead fish in the municipalities of Matamoros and Soto la Marina, Mexico causing an enormous environmental impact.
After an emegency meeting, the State Commission for Protection Against Health Risks (COEPRIS), Jose Flores, revealed that in the last days they had removed about 14 tons of dead fish due to red tide on the beaches Riviera in Matamoros, and the Fishing town of Soto la Marina.
Red tide is a natural phenomenon that causes an overgrowth of algae with red coloration and high concentrations of toxins in estuaries or the sea.
Yesterday the Secretary of State for Environment, Heberto Cavazos Lliteras, warned that the red tide spread to the beach of La Pesca, in Soto la Marina.
It also stated that the biggest outcrop is located in Matamoros, but there is a possibility of it being swept away by the waves to spread to the beaches of the southern part of the state.
Cavazos said that after the presence of red tide, tourism has been impacted mainly on the Costa Azul beach of Matamoros.
In Texas, Cameron County authorities have called on tourists and inhabitants of the South Padre Island beach and Bocachica, in Brownsville, avoid approaching the beach because the red tide is at its most critical level.
The aerosol effect due to the presence of the phenomenon causes burning eyes and throat, and in some cases may cause fainting and vomiting, they warned.

Deadly sea snakes wash up on California beaches for the first time ...

• A few yellow-bellied sea snakes spotted at Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard
• Last time appeared in California was during the El Niño system in the '80s
• Theorized warming ocean currents have allowed snakes to travel farther 
• Expert say yellow-bellied bites can be fatal to humans, but they are rare

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3278908/Plagu...

Plague of dead sea animals killed by mystery illness wash up on a beach in Mexico, with scientists baffled and tourists warned to steer clear

• 21 dolphins, 11 turtles and two sea lions found dead on Mexican coast
• Environment experts are unsure as to what killed the animals 
• Fisherman's nets and cruise liners ruled out due to inconsistent injuries 

Published: 04:36 EST, 19 October 2015 | Updated: 06:45 EST, 19 October 2015

Experts have been left baffled after dozens of dead animals washed up on beaches popular with tourists in Mexico.

And visitors are being warned to steer clear from the sands, which stretch almost 26 miles along the west coast of Mexico, until the cause of the deaths can be determined.

Twenty-one dolphins, 11 turtles and two sea lions were found either washed up on shore or floating in shallow waters near to Sinaloa.

Worried environmentalists have called for an in-depth investigation to try and establish what caused the tragedy.

None of the sea creatures appeared marked or cut in any way so it was possible to rule out that they had been caught in fisherman's nets or run over by a cruise liner. 

Mexico's Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) are now investigating whether pollution is to blame for the deaths. They have also activated a security protocol and tourists have been warned not to use the beaches while the water is being tested.

A spokesman for FEPA said: 'We will be looking at what species are affected, their condition, size, age, physical appearance, nutritional state, health, visible traumas, the time and date, climacteric conditions, state of the sea, topography of the beach and accessibility of the area.

'We will also be carrying out an autopsy and collecting samples of tissue and organs to conduct laboratory studies.' 

However, he added that at the moment marine biologists were baffled about the cause of the mysterious deaths.

It is expected to take a number of weeks for the results to be released. 

This dolphin was just one of 21 that washed up dead on beaches on the west coast of Mexico

https://yamkin.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/5-tons-of-dead-fish-found-i...

5 TONS of dead fish found in the bay area of Macau, China

October 18 2015

http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/con...

Thousands of fish found dead in Lake Ivanhoe

Thousands of fish were found dead in Lake Ivanhoe in Orlando, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015.

ORLANDO -- 

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials are working to figure out how thousands of fish turned up dead at Orlando's Lake Ivanhoe.

Frank Hilgenberg, who lives near the lake, reached out to us, concerned about what he saw Thursday morning.

"I could smell it when I walked around the corner, because I'm upwind, and I thought, 'Hmm,'" Hilgenberg said. "I saw guys digging around, and as I got closer I realized there's, like, eight or 10 of them, and they’re all netting out, unfortunately, the dead fish."

Officials from the city of Orlando and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they are working to determine what killed the fish.

FWC said they don’t think it’s anything toxic that’s killing fish.  They say it’s possibly something environmental that’s causing the fish to turn up dead, but at this point they don’t know for sure.

City streets and stormwater crews were called to remove the dead fish from the lake and put them in garbage bags. The water is also being tested.

California shark cluster: 20 great whites in rare size cluster 100-yds offshore

California shark cluster: 20 great whites in rare size cluster 100-...

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2015/10/dawn-of-dead-tons-of-dead-fish-...

Dawn of the dead: Tons of dead fish appear over night on Treasure Beach Mexico! Millions of fish litter the dunes and beaches.....

Translated from Spanish
2 tons of dead fish in just five hours....
Dawn, tons of dead fish appeared over night on Treasure Beach, Mexico Tuesday.
Millions of dead fish were washed ashore on the beach and dunes of Golden Treasury beach, the Navy of Mexico have been called in to organise the cleanup.

Tampico, Altamira.
From 01:00 hours to 06:00 hours, along with staff from the Port Authority and they have raised just over 2 tons of dead fish.
Navigation Canal Port is crowded with dead fish of various species and sizes.
Navy personnel and API escavaron a pit in the area of ​​Pinos, where the fish are deposited.
The orullae from the beach and offshore lot of fish floating is observed.
 Last week The Big Wobble reported '40 TONS' of dead fish washed up on the coast of Tamaulipas, which is a couple of hundred miles to the north of yesterday's tragedy as the Gulf Of Mexico is thought to be under the grip of a red tide algae bloom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDbcnkrlkC0

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/6750222/Plague-of-super-rats-i...

Plague of super rats immune to poison are ‘putting lives at risk’

Appeal for help after giant rodents terrify kids and chew through car's brakes

Plague of super rats immune to poison are ‘putting lives at risk’

Appeal for help after giant rodents terrify kids and chew through car's brakes

Rats are causing havoc by eating through car parts

GIANT rats are crawling into car engines, gnawing through brake cables and putting lives at risk, according to terrified families.

Parents say they are too scared to their children play outside as a plague of "super" rodents which are apparently immune to poison sweeps through their nighbourhood.

More than 100 residents from at least three streets in Reading, Berks, are demanding urgent action from their local authority.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151120-worlds-largest-wh...

337 Whales Beached in Largest Stranding Ever

The cause of the massive die-off, discovered in remote waters off Patagonia, Chile, is being investigated. Scientists say they are most likely sei whales, which are endangered.

The dead whales were first observed in Patagonia in June from the air, but now scientists are trying to figure out what killed them.

Record number of stranded [northern fur] seal pups in Northern California (11/21/15)
Marine mammal experts say another species of marine wildlife has begun turning up, emaciated and weak, in record numbers on the California coast in what has been a series of alarming signs of oceanic distress.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/11/21/55803/record-number-of-stranded...

Unhealthy northern fur seal pups have been found stranded on beaches in record numbers, newly weaned and weighing little more than the typical birth weight for the species, experts at the Marine Mammal Center near Sausalito said.
"They're adorable, but on the other hand they're these little bags of skin and bones," said Jeff Boehm, the center's executive director.
As of Friday, the Marine Mammal Center near Sausalito had taken in 85 northern fur seals, which live out in the Pacific Ocean's waters and islands and would only rarely be found on shore, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported Saturday.
According to the center, that number is more than double the previous record of 31 pups in 2006. Veterinarians estimate they are between 4 and 5 months old.

The stranded northern fur seals are the latest in a string of alarming marine events. Experts have been working all year to address an "unusual mortality event" among California sea lions. In addition, wildlife rescue crews have been trying to rehabilitate a record number of the rarely seen and endangered Guadalupe fur seal pups, also showing up stranded.

'It's like a horror movie': Memphis suburb is overrun with thousands of spiders as millions of them spin a HALF-MILE web in a field and then mysteriously flee to the streets

• The spiders' web reportedly stretches half a mile
• Thousands of spiders are said to be in the area
• Steve Reichling, a Memphis Zoo curator, has said 'It's a mass dispersal of the millions of tiny spiders that have always been in that field'

By ZOE SZATHMARY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 22:19 EST, 22 November 2015 | UPDATED: 01:09 EST, 23 November 2015

A neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee, is reportedly facing a huge spider nuisance.

According to WMC, the spiders' web in North Memphis stretches half a mile. Thousands of spiders are said to be in the area. 

Women who live in the area described the issue to the television station, with one comparing it to a horror movie. 

Frances Ward told WMC: 'I've never seen anything like this.

'It's like a horror movie.

'Never seen nothing like this before.

'They're in the air, flying everywhere.

'They all on the house, on the side of the windows.'

Debra Lewis also spoke to the local news station, and said: 'Clean this area up and spray for these spiders and make it safe.

'There are kids running around.

'A spider could bite the kids or anything.'

Another woman, Frances Ward, told WMC: 'I've seen about 20 on my porch just in the last day.'

WMC reported the women are trying to eliminate the insects. 

Steve Reichling, a Memphis Zoo curator, told the television station: 'It's a mass dispersal of the millions of tiny spiders that have always been in that field, unnoticed till now.

'It could be juveniles - millions - in a big emergence event, or adults of a tiny species - probably a sheetweb spider - leaving for some reason possibly knowable only to them.

'In fields and meadows, there are often literally millions of spiders doing their thing, unseen and unappreciated by us.

'I would not want to live in a world where such things were no longer possible.

'The presence of these spiders tells us that all is well with nature at that location.' 

A large number of spider webs were also observed in Cape Breton, Canada, last November.

At the time, Prof. Rob Bennett of the Royal British Columbia Museum told CBC News the arachnids responsible were probably sheetweb weaver spiders.

He said: 'For some reason, mostly unknown, these types of spiders are known to do these mass dispersal events. The spiders decide collectively that it's time to leave that area.'

CBC News wrote at the time: 'Bennett said the spiders do that by casting a web net to catch the wind and float away in a process known as ballooning.' 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3329876/It-s-like-horror-mo... 

Deep Water Lancetfish Found Struggling off New Zealand (Nov 19)

A lancetfish - usually found around 1000 metres deep, has been found just offshore at Fitzroy beach in New Plymouth.

Nik Pyselman was running with his friend Cam Twigley along Fitzroy beach on Wednesday evening when he saw an iridescent blue shape in the water.

"It looked like it had been washed in and was sruggling to swim back out to sea," he said.

"They're generally caught in deep water over 1000 metres deep," Mawson said.

"It's very unusual to see one in this shallow."

Barry Govier said he had been a fisherman for more than 20 years but said he'd never seen a lancetfish.

Source

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/74180639/super-rare...

http://jakarta.coconuts.co/2015/11/30/millions-dead-fish-wash-ashor...

“Millions” of dead fish wash up ashore in Ancol, stinking up the area

Residents are reporting horrid, foul smells coming from the area.

Authorities have not figured out what killed the fish. Samples of the fish were taken to a lab to investigate this extremely strange occurrence.

While the waters around North Jakarta’s coastline aren’t known for being the cleanest, this is a pretty alarming sign that there may be some seriously toxic contaminants in the water. Hopefully authorities will figure out the cause quickly before it affects the capital’s water or food supplies.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/biloxi-ms/TJOUFADRA6I85SC7Q

Hundreds of fish found dead on Biloxi beach

16 hrs ago Mississippi

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Quality are investigating hundreds of small dead fish that washed ashore in Biloxi. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Quality are investigating hundreds of small dead fish that washed ashore in Biloxi.

and another:

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/dead-fish-birds-a...|%20Top%20Stories%29

Dead fish, birds at Shoalwater as probe into Cockburn Sound deaths continue

December 3, 2015 4:24am

DEAD fish and birds, including a pelican, have been found in Shoalwater, sparking fears problems plaguing the Cockburn Sound are spreading.

A man named Liam posted on Facebook he came across dead blowfish “washed up everywhere and even dead birds, one being a pelican” when walking his dog along Shoalwater on Thursday.

“To my surprise the fish kills have made it as far down as there ... it’s a shame especially with the fisheries telling us that it’s safe to swim and fish. If it’s so safe why are the birds that feed on fish dying as well?” he posted.

Big numbers of dead fish reportedly washed up at Cockburn Sound on Wednesday, near the Garden Island Causeway and Point Peron boat ramp, after more than 700 pink snapper and blowfish were found dead last month.

Authorities are still trying to work out what killed the fish, but have ruled out disease, with environmental factors most likely to blame.

Fisheries researcher Dr Michael Snow said water quality was now the focus.

http://www.naturalblaze.com/2015/12/337-dead-whales-in-chile-is-wor...

337 Dead Whales In Chile Is Worst Case Of Mass Deaths So Far

Posted on December 3, 2015

In the most shocking case of mass animal deaths to date, 337 endangered Sei whales have been found dead in Southern Chile.

According to Chilean news agencies. the whales were discovered by scientists on November 17, but only now has the mass death been reported to the authorities (and leaked to the press). In May, in the same part of the Aysen region, biologist Vreni Haussermann discovered 30 dead Sei whales. Baffled scientists suggested at the time that the deaths might have been caused by a virus, and promised to launch an investigation.

At first, researchers counted 20 carcasses but warned that the number could increase following their investigations. The final count is shocking. After the first deaths in May, Haussermann teamed up with Dr Carolina Simon Gutstein and they pooled their resources together. Using aerial and satellite photography, the scientists have counted 305 carcasses and 32 skeletons in the area between the Gulf of Penas and Puerto Natales.

This is the single biggest mass whale death known to science. Haussermann said it was “an apocalyptic sight.”

Due to the remote area and rough seas on the Southernmost tip of Chile, not to mention the decomposition of many whales, conducting
experiments to determine the exact cause of death isn’t easy. The case was recently reported to Chilean fishing body Servicio Nacional de Pesca, and will be followed up by the Chilean police.

Top photo credit: Credit: DailyMail.co.uk

This article (337 Dead Whales In Chile Is Worst Case Of Mass Deaths So Far) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com.

Dear readers: three years ago I wrote about a similar mass animal death involving dozens of dolphins off of Cape Cod. Just a few days later, hundreds of dolphins were then beached off of Peru. The second time, I couldn’t help noting that a Google map with animal death locations matched up with a HAARP Weather technology map – they use frequency. Sometimes mass deaths of water animals coincide with Navy sonar testing – just something more to ponder. -Heather Callaghan, Natural Blaze

El Niño strikes again: Sixty whales get tangled in fishing gear off Californian coast after unusually warm Pacific puts them on collision course with trawlers 

• More than 60 whales tangled in fishing gear have been spotted this year
• Spike in numbers is thought to be due to warming in the Pacific Ocean
• Authorities have identified the crab fishery as the most urgent concern 

By JENNY STANTON FOR MAILONLINE and AP

PUBLISHED: 10:31 EST, 9 December 2015 | UPDATED: 13:13 EST, 9 December 2015

More than 60 whales tangled in fishing gear have been spotted off the coast of California this year as an unusual warming in the Pacific Ocean draws them towards the shore.

The figure is a more than 400 per cent spike over the normal numbers and scientists believe the whales may be on a collision course with fishermen, crabbers and lobstermen.

The situation is so dire that the crab fishery has begun working closely with state and federal agencies and environmental groups to figure out where and how the whales are running into their gear.

The ocean mammals have also become entangled in gill nets and lobster gear, but authorities have identified the crab fishery as the most urgent concern.

'This time of year, the whales would be offshore but with the blob of warm water, they're right off the beach. They're right where the crabs are,' said Jim Anderson, a crabber who's helping to mobilize the state's 562 licensed Dungeness crab fishermen.

'You go talk to a guy who's been fishing for 40 or 50 years and he's never seen anything like it.'

Whales that have rope stuck in their mouths or wrapped tightly around their fins or tail will eventually die if they can't free themselves.

Highly trained volunteer rescue teams are only able to disentangle a small percentage despite tracking devices that allow them to follow the hobbled animals for miles. Many swim away and their fate is never known.

A humpback whale that was partially freed recently off La Jolla, California had line stuck in its mouth, a huge knot of rope six feet behind its tail and 200 additional feet of rope and buoys dragging behind it.

Another rescued nearby had a 70-foot line looped over its tail that was connected to a lobster pot still swinging from the rope's end underwater.

Keith Yip, who volunteers as the leader of a disentanglement team sponsored by SeaWorld, was involved in both rescues.

He's been called out four times in the past six weeks and has logged 10 rescues in the past two years - one-fifth of all the calls he's had in a 30-year career.

'It's another job in and of itself recently,' said Yip, who is the curator of mammals at SeaWorld. 'My weekend days alone just the past couple of weeks I've spent on the water.'

Rather than crack down on the Dungeness crab fishery, which can bring in up to $100 million a season, state and federal agencies decided to tap into the crabbers' collective knowledge to figure out where wayward whales and fishermen are overlapping.

The crab season is delayed this year because of a massive bloom of toxic algae in the Pacific, but crabbers are committed to help when the season does resume later this winter or next year.

At a training session this fall in Half Moon Bay, nearly 100 crabbers already learned how to photograph tangled whales, call them in to a hotline and then 'babysit' them until authorities arrive. A best practices guide has been distributed to all crabbers.

And when crabbing does resume, fishermen will work alongside scientists on their boats to test different densities and strengths of rope and gear configurations, including a new 'sinking rope' that reduces slack in the line that could entrap whales.

Another pilot program will log where crabbers drop their pots on GPS-enabled iPads.

'We've got pots in the water, we've got ropes in the water and we've got whales in the water,' said Anderson. 'What can we do to make this a safe place for everybody?'

Environmental groups are on board, too. The cooperation comes against the backdrop of a two-decade battle between environmentalists and lobster fishermen on the East Coast that hasn't yielded answers but has financially devastated lobstermen, said Geoff Shester, California campaign director for Oceana.

It's a promising start but ultimately might not be enough, said David Anderson, captain of Capt. Dave's Whale Watching and Dolphin Safari in Dana Point, California.

Anderson, who is no relation to the crab fisherman, was among the first to realize there was a serious problem under the water when his tours kept running into distressed whales.

Now, a critical part of his work also involves documenting - and responding to - entangled whales off the Southern California coast.

Anderson, who's certified by federal marine authorities as a volunteer rescuer, believes the hobbled whales here are a symptom of a larger crisis that's telegraphed to the surface with each struggling creature.

'We've had more than 50 entangled whales this year off California, but that's just the tip of the iceberg,' he said. 'Most of the whales we're not seeing - and it's a huge problem.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3352834/El-Nino-strikes-Six... 

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http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/547699/news/regions/bfar-tons-...

Tons of dead fish, Marine animals washed ashore in Leyte

Dec 12, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQSxd67QhhQ