https://www.sott.net/article/337826-6000-dead-fish-found-in-rivers-...

6,000 dead fish found in rivers of Baltimore County, Maryland

About 6,000 fish were found to have died in eastern Baltimore County waterways, according to a Maryland Department of the Environment investigation.

Preliminary results point to algae-created toxins as the likely cause of the fish kill, which was discovered last week after dead fish were first seen in rivers that include the Gunpowder and Bird, said MDE spokesperson Jay Apperson Monday evening.

The kill has affected at least nine species: yellow perch, largemouth bass, bluegill sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, carp, black crappie, gizzard shad, spottail shiner and channel catfish.

Residents are urged to avoid the dead fish or wash their hands if they need to handle or dispose of the fish.

A department investigator who is on site today in response to the received reports "saw fish that continue to show signs of stress," Apperson said.

The investigation has not shown any signs of pollution as a potential cause, suggesting instead that the kill is due to toxins produced by algae, he said.

"Monitoring has shown elevated cell counts of Karlodinium venifecum algae in the Gunpowder River," Apperson said. "We are awaiting results of laboratory tests for algae toxins and of fish tissue. The investigation is ongoing."

Apperson noted fish kills are relatively common and vary widely in size. MDE reports 86 fish kills in 2015, and it counts 55 fish kills of 100,000 or more fish since Maryland began investigating the issue in 1984.

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/01/tens-of-thousands-of-dead-starf...

Monday, 2 January 2017

Tens of thousands of dead starfish wash up along the Dutch coast! "Dead starfish as far as the eye can see!

Dozens of Birds Fall from the Sky in Western Pennsylvania (Dec 30)

Drivers on Route 22 were disturbed to see dozens of blackbirds that fell from the sky and onto the highway.

Terrence Haynes and his wife were driving east on Route 22 Friday when suddenly traffic slowed near the Route 512 exit. At first, it looked like shredded tires scattered all over the road, Haynes said. As they drove closer, it became clear that the black objects were birds.

"I'm not kidding when I say it was one of the most terrible things I've ever seen," Haynes said.

David Godiska of Whitehall came upon a similar scene around 1:45 p.m. while driving east near what he thought was the Fullerton Avenue exit. Traffic slowed suddenly, he said.

"I thought maybe there was an accident and then I saw something fall from the sky," he said. "There were some fluttering on the shoulder of the road. I couldn't avoid hitting them, and I thought that is really strange."

Godiska estimated that there were dozens of birds. They covered the road and nearby embankments, he said.

Six weeks prior on November 22, residents in southern New Jersey reported a shower of as many as 200 red-winged blackbirds in a housing development surrounded by farm fields, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Three weeks before that incident, a couple dozen dead birds were found in the same neighborhood. Earlier in 2016, a similar situation was reported in a North Jersey farming area, the Inquirer reported.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection conducted tests on the dead birds but was unable to determine what made them fall from the sky, the newspaper said.

It is not known what type of birds were killed in the December 30 incident. Witnesses and state police described the birds as small and black. Godiska said the birds were the size of Starlings.

Sources

http://www.mcall.com/news/mc-birds-fall-from-sky-folo-20170103-stor...

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20161227_Why_are_birds...

Dozens of whales dead off South Florida coast

81 false killer whales confirmed dead, 13 unaccounted for

Posted: 2:16 PM, January 16, 2017

HOG KEY, Fla. - Dozens of whales have been found dead off the coast of South Florida in Everglades National Park.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that, as of Monday afternoon, 81 false killer whales are confirmed dead among a group of 95 that stranded themselves over the weekend.

Thirteen whales are unaccounted for, while one was seen alive.

The group beached themselves off Hog Key in the western edge of the Everglades.

NOAA claims that this is the largest beaching of this species in the history of the state. Forty false killer whales beached themselves in 1989 in Cedar Key.

False killer whales are members of the dolphin family and reach lengths up to 20 feet.

NOAA has asked the public to stay away from the area and to keep boats a safe distance away.

Source: http://www.ksat.com/news/dozens-of-whales-dead-off-south-florida-coast

17/01/2017 13h47 - Updated on 17/01/2017 13h47

Hundreds of fish found dead in Petrolina lagoon, PE

Lagoa is in the Jatobá neighborhood, East Zone of Petrolina.
Low oxygenation or some kind of poison may have caused the deaths.

From G1 Petrolina

Lack of oxygenation may have caused the death of fish (Photo: Aracelly Romão / Grande Rio TV)

Hundreds of fish were found dead Tuesday in a pond in the Jatobá neighborhood, east side of Petrolina, in the Sertão de Pernambuco. It is not yet known what caused the death of the fish, all of the tilapia species.

The fish died on Monday night (16). When the day dawned, the residents of the area were frightened. "I did not even think I had that much fish here. Yesterday I had a little bit, today it has appeared more and for sure they will die everything, as it is there, there is no escape, "said area supervisor Osmando Sabino.

One of the main hypotheses to explain what happened is that the water may have become warmer, which has reduced the amount of oxygen. Unable to breathe, the fish died. Ibama was on the spot and does not rule out another possibility for the fish's death.

Fish were found dead on Tuesday
(17) (Photo: Aracelly Romão / TV Grande Rio)

"It is not ruled out that someone has thrown some poison, given that the land is fully open and has access to the public. Here comes direct sewage, so someone may have spilled a poison glass in a sewage box and I came to stop here, "said Ibama's fishing engineer, Vanderlei Pinheiro.

According to Ibama, the investigation is compromised because of the amount of sewage that is released into the lagoon. The fishing engineer warns that the population will not eat dead fish under any circumstances.

"Do not let the people consume, do not let the people fish and dry to avoid access to the public. If he had an award that could be held responsible, Ibama would file a bill against the company or individual or legal entity, with a fine of R $ 5,000 to R $ 50,000, plus a penalty of three years imprisonment, "Vanderlei said.

In a statement, the Municipal Environment Agency (Amma) said it will send technicians to the site to have an analysis of what may have caused the death of the fish. He was not informed when the animals will be removed from the pond. According to Amma, the lagoon works irregularly as a sewage stabilization pond that caters to the surrounding condos and which has a low concentration of oxygen, which may have killed the fish.

Compesa confirmed that in the Jatobá neighborhood there is no stabilization pond built by the company. The agency took the opportunity to inform that to put the collector system in operation in the Jatobá neighborhood, is completing projects and closing partnerships. Works are expected to start in the first half of this year.

https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y...

http://strangesounds.org/2017/01/millions-of-dead-sardines-beach-ch...

Ecosystem collapse: Millions of dead sardines wash up on a beach in Chile

Millions of sardines washed up dead along Aucho beach in the small town of Quemchi located in the eastern shore of Chiloé Island on January 27, 2017.

It is the first time that such a cataclysmic phenomenon occurs in this coastal community.

Not only the worst wildfires in decades are currently plaguing Chile. Yesterday, millions of dead sardines were covering the beach of Aucho in Quemchi, Chile.

Jellyfish wash up 'like wallpaper' on Australian beach

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38836362

Thousands of blue blubber jellyfish have washed up at an Australian beach, surprising locals and marine experts.

Charlotte Lawson, 24, took photos of the jellyfish at Queensland's Deception Bay after noticing an unusual colour in the water.

"When we got closer we realised it was jellyfish," she told the BBC. "It was like bubble wrap across the beach."
Although a common sight on Australia's east coast, the mildly venomous marine stinger is rarely seen in such numbers.

Marine biologist Lisa-Ann Gershwin said she gasped when she saw the pictures.
"It's like wallpaper," she said. "They are just cheek by jowl. They are packed so tightly. It's a sea of blue."

Methane creates fatigue, unconsciosness and suffocation

http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/chemical_poisoning_methane/symptoms...

Symptoms of Chemical poisoning -- Methane

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Chemical poisoning -- Methane includes the 8 symptoms listed below:

• Blurred vision
• Cough
• Rapid heart rate
• Rapid breathing
• CNS depression
• Unconsciousness
• Frostbit on contact with liquid
• Suffocation
• more information...»

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjHsCg8lROk&feature=youtu.be&am...

2/8/17
Thousands of Dead Bees Wash Ashore on Naples Beach

Thousands of dead and dying bees are washing up on a popular beach in Southern Florida.

Alligator With Orange Skin Found in North Carolina (Feb 9)

An alligator with bright orange skin has been spotted in South Carolina, puzzling local wildlife officials.

The unique reptile was discovered on the banks of a retention pond in Tanner Plantation in Hanahan. Its photograph was shared on a local Facebook page where people commented on its unusual skin tone.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” one commenter said. “It looks like clay.”

Jay Butfiloski, of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said the color may have come from spending the winter in a rusty pipe.

“It would not be a new species, just a genetic anomaly if it were naturally orange,” he said.

Source

https://www.rt.com/viral/376886-orange-alligator-trumpagator/

Moderator Note: The Rare Albinos Appearing blog has apparently been deleted from ECAPS.

http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/world/300-whales-found-dead-...

300 whales found dead in New Zealand

Friday 10 February 2017 09:21 AM IST...

Wellingon: At least 300 pilot whales were found dead on Friday in New Zealand after over 400 of them...

Read more at: http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/world/300-whales-found-dead-...

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/02/08/state-of-emergency-plague-of-l...

State of emergency: Plague of locusts tormenting Bolivia

FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2017 05:20 PM EST | UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2017 05:27 PM EST

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivian President Evo Morales is declaring a state of emergency to fight a plague of locusts that is decimating crops in the country’s agricultural heartland.

Morales announced the decision Wednesday as part of a contingency plan. It includes $700,000 in additional funds for fumigation.

Officials say the swarm of locusts first appeared two weeks ago about 60 miles (100 kilometres) south of the eastern city of Santa Cruz. It has spread fast and is now about 18 miles (30 kilometres) from Bolivia’s largest city.

Bolivia’s Eastern Agriculture Chamber estimates more than 2,700 acres (1,100 hectares) of corn, sorghum and beans have already been destroyed by the locusts. Authorities fear the locusts will reach the breadbasket region that supplies more than 80 per cent of Bolivia’s food unless there is extensive fumigation.

Mongolia: Deadly virus causes another mass die-off of endangered Saiga antelopes

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mongolia-deadly-virus-causes-another-mass-...

Around 2,500 Saiga antelopes have died in Mongolia since December 2016, struck by a deadly virus. This is the first time an infectious disease outbreak has led to the death of Mongolian Saiga antelopes.

The Saiga antelope is a critically endangered species. Recognisable by its unique bulbous nose, its global population has been dramatically reduced in recent years, due to disease, just like during the massive die-off that happened in Kazakhstan in 2015. The animals are also threatened by poaching and habitat loss. They are hunted down for their horns, which are used in traditional medicine. It is estimated that Saiga antelopes' numbers have gone down by 90% in the last decade.

Mongolia is home to a unique subspecies of Saiga antelope known as Saiga tatarica mongolica. Only 10,000 antelopes were thought to roam in the Great Lakes Depression of Western Mongolia, so a loss of 2,500 animals in the space of two months – 25 per cent of the population – deeply worries conservationists. Although the outbreak shows signs of decreasing, it is not yet over and may continue well into the spring.

The cause of this new epidemic is the livestock virus PPR – or "Peste des Petits Ruminants". It was first diagnosed in sheep and goats in September of 2016, and is thought to have spilled over to Saiga antelopes a few months later.

"This is the first deadly infectious disease outbreak known to have occurred in the Mongolian saiga," said Dr Amanda Fine, a veterinarian and associate director of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Wildlife Health Program in Asia. "In the past, pasteurellosis was recorded as a cause of mortality in some saiga but never with such rapid spread and deadly results. The situation is tragic and widespread."

Other species may be affected by the death of Saiga antelopes. Snow leopards, which are already rare, may struggle as a result of a depleted prey base.

Saving the Saiga antelope

A rapid response team has been set up to deal with the outbreak, supported by WCS. Its work has so far involved collecting samples from dead saiga, conducting animal autopsies and evaluating sick saiga. An important goal is to assess the affected animals' age and sex, to come up with better strategies to protect the species against the virus and help it recover.

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/third-dead-whale-found-after-wash...

Third dead whale found after washing ashore in Virginia Beach

• The Virginian-Pilot

February 12, 2017

A male juvenile humpback whale was found washed ashore Sunday morning near 80th Street in Virginia Beach. The whale had suffered propeller wounds.

Matt Klepeisz, a spokesman for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, said the whale had been reported off the Cape Henry area on Saturday morning and came ashore either Saturday night or Sunday morning at 80th Street.

According to Alex Costidis, an aquarium stranding team coordinator, the whale, after being spotted at Cape Henry, was seen at Rudee Inlet. The stranding team stayed with it Saturday, taking samples from the water until sunset. The whale was reported ashore Sunday morning at 80th Street by a passerby.

Costidis said the black and white whale had, “three large propeller wounds.” He estimated the whale was 2 to 4 years old and weighed 13,000 to 16,000 pounds. It measured 937 centimeters long – more than 30 feet.

Over the course of one week and a day, three dead whales have been examined for propeller wounds by the stranding team.

“Three in one week is certainly something to take note of,” said Costidis.

Dozens of people walked down to get a look at the whale.

The stranding team will perform a necropsy, an autopsy for dead animals, on the beach this morning, and the whale will be cut up and buried near the dunes, Costidis said. The examine will determine if the whale was struck by a vessel while it was alive, he said.

Humpback whales prevail in the water off the Virginia Beach coast this time of year. They follow menhaden – large numbers of bait fish that swim in schools – into the mouths of rivers and bays, said Kristy Phillips, manager of Virginia Aquarium’s necropsy team.

By Sunday afternoon, the area around the whale was marked off to keep people away from the dead animal.

“They can carry diseases,” Phillips said. “We don’t want people touching them.”

https://yamkin.wordpress.com/2017/02/12/3700-dead-birds-found-in-th...

3,700 dead birds found in the waters of Sacramento, USA

February 12 2017

So far 640 whales have beached in NZ

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/02/more-whale-horror-after-400-wha...

Saturday, 11 February 2017

More whale horror after 400 whales stranded on a beach in New Zealand resulting in 300 deaths 240 more arrive

Sunday, 12 February 2017

Mass Death of Seabirds in Western U.S. 'Unprecedented' as tens of thousands dead due to deadly patch of warm water along the American West

2015 and 2016 were the two hottest years ever recorded; we should not be surprised therefore to find our oceans to be showing signs of stress as the delicate balanced eco system is also being stretched to its limit.

A deadly patch of warm water along the American West coast called the ‘Pacific blob’, stretching all the way from California up to the Gulf of Alaska, Has killed thousands of California sea lions in 2015. Many starved as they struggled to find food in an unusually warm eastern Pacific. Strange exotic tropical fish have been reported off the coast of Alaska. In the winter of 2015 blue-footed diving seabirds called Cassin’s auklets, have been washing up dead by the thousands on beaches from San Francisco to Alaska, it is thought more than 250,000 died from lack of food. An unprecedented die off  which began in 2011 along the West coast of North America when billions of sea urchins and sea stars died suddenly in what was 'one of the most unusual and dramatic die-offs marine biologists have ever recorded.'

The Culprit: Warm Water?

Bill Sydeman, a senior scientist at California's Farallon Institute, said he believes the most likely scenario is that the deaths are related to a massive blob of warm water that heated the North Pacific last year and contributed to California's drought and to 2016 being the hottest year on record.

That water was hotter and stayed warm longer than at any time since record-keeping began. It stretched across the Gulf of Alaska, where a high-pressure system blocked storms, preventing the water from churning to the surface and mixing with air. More warm water eventually moved inward along the coast as far south as California, altering how favorable the environment was for the zooplankton that many fish and birds, including Cassin's auklets, feed on.

Last year tens of thousands of common murres were the victims, an abundant North Pacific seabird, starved and washed ashore on beaches from California to Alaska, researchers have pinned the cause to unusually warm ocean temperatures that affected the tiny fish they eat.

A year after tens of thousands of the common murres died, John Piatt, a research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey claims the deaths of the common murres is an indicator of the regions' health.

Elevated temperatures in seawater affected wildlife in a pair of major marine ecosystems along the West Coast and Canada, said

"If tens of thousands of them are dying, it's because there's no fish out there, anywhere, over a very large area," Piatt said.

It is thought 500,000 of the common murres, who look like thin penguins, died last year all though this could be just a conservative guess because only a fraction of the dead birds likely reached the shore.

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/172576/mass-fish-death...

13/02/2017

Residents in Ky Anh Town in central Ha Tinh Province have found dead fish floating in the local Quyen River since last week.

Dead fish are taken to the river bank by locals to be buried.

They believe the deaths are linked to Formosa, the company whose toxic spill killed a large quantity of fish in the ocean last year.

Hoang Van Uan, a resident, said he discovered the dead fish scattered in different sections of the river. Uan said residents buried the dead fish in a nearby field.

Phan Duy Vinh, the town’s deputy chairman, affirmed the recent mass fish deaths. However, according to him, the deaths were caused by muddy water that farmers released from their paddy fields in preparation for a new crop.

Vinh said there were no fish deaths in the lower part of the river.

Managers in Ha Tinh Economic Zone, which include the Hung Nghiep Formosa Steel Corporation, said the company has a canal for irrigation in the river basin, but it does not meet the water. A manager added that Formosa is located near the lower part of the river, away from where the deaths occurred.

Meanwhile, although fish deaths continue to be reported, concerned agencies have not yet taken water samples for testing.

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/02/thousands-of-fish-dead-in-littl...

Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Thousands of fish dead in Little River Canada: Climate change responsibe for millions of fish and sea bird deaths along east and west coast of North America

We found ocean perch and then yesterday we started finding scallops on the beach and like I said everything's dead... we'd like to know what's going on," said Karl Cole.
Just last week Thousands of bees washed ashore in an area where last month 81 false killer whales died, in Florida. 
The bees where washing up at Lowdermilk Park Beach Naples in Florida.

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/02/another-fish-catastrophe-millio...

Thursday, 16 February 2017

Another fish Catastrophe! Millions of dead sardines wash up along kilometers of beach on Gulf of Nicoya Costa Rica

More than two kilometers of beach near Manzanillo, on the Gulf of Nicoya, were filled with dead fish Wednesday morning, authorities said. (Via MSP)
Disturbing images coming from Costa Rica's Gulf of Nicoya showed millions of dead sardines washed ashore near the coastal town of Manzanillo.
Preliminary online reports from various agencies including marine conservation group Fundacion MarViva say that the washed-up hordes of fish were seen for a few kilometers.
According to a Facebook post from MarViva, it seems only to be a sardine species that suffered the widespread deaths.
However, no exact cause for the incident is yet known.
The report said it is unlikely that the phenomenon was caused by chemical poisoning or that it has anything to do with warmer water temperatures in the Gulf of Nicoya, since a single species appears to have been affected.
"It's possible that this is related to the eating habits of the sardines," the MarViva announcement read. "Since they are herbivores, a mass mortality of this type could have something to do with the consumption of a toxic phytoplankton or algae that may have become more prevalent in the Gulf." Coast Guards and marine biologists arrived quickly on the scene to analyze the strange incident and take samples for researchers at the National University, a press release from the Public Security Ministry noted.
The officials scanned the 2.05-kilometer expanse in Manzanillo where the dead fish were seen on land and floating in water just above the Abangaritos River.
MarViva's announcement further recommended that people in the region refrain from eating sardines for the time being.
Recent appearances of dead fish in other parts of Latin America, such as Chile, have similarly puzzled marine biology experts.
Two weeks ago, a 20-meter-long blue whale washed up on the beach in Costa Rica's Santa Rosa National Park in Guanacaste.

Over 50 Dead Owls Found Along 20 Miles of Idaho Highway (Feb 14)

An unusual type of road kill is alarming drivers on a highway in southern Idaho.

Over 50 dead owls have been reported along a 20-mile stretch of Interstate-84.

Over the weekend, Nichole Miller and Christina White were driving home to Boise from Twin Falls when they spotted the dead birds on the highway.

“I saw a bird on the side of the road -- I thought it was a chicken,” Miller told the station. “But then we saw more (road kill) and I saw the stripes on the feathers and it was not a chicken.”

It was definitely, an owl, she said. And it wasn't the only one. Miller said she and Christina lost count after spotting more than 50 dead owls during a 20-mile stretch near Jerome.

"There was more and more and more," Miller said.

“It almost looks like they fell from the sky,” Miller said.

Idaho Fish and Game spokesman Mike Keckler says: "Hungry owls are becoming victims of road kill when they hunt for mice along the highway."

Sources

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dozens-of-dead-owls-showing-up-on-idaho...

http://kboi2.com/news/local/why-are-dozens-of-dead-owls-showing-up-...

http://www.ticotimes.net/2017/02/17/crocodile-turns-dead-gulf-nicoy...

Crocodile found dead in Gulf of Nicoya following thousands of washed up fish

Feb 17 2017

Though Coast Guard officials and biologists are investigating the waters, no cause has yet been named for the mysterious deaths of the marine life. Initial reports Wednesday suggested that it was only a single species of sardine affected, but a later news release from the Public Security Ministry indicate that other types of fish had also been found dead.

While some experts, such as staff members of the conservation group MarViva, have hypothesized that the mass deaths could be a result of a toxic phytoplankton in the waters, Coast Guard officials said it could be related to changing oxygen levels.

Community members of Facebook have commented that they fear there could be some chemical element or pollution that is causing the sudden deaths in the gulf.

One local told news site Amelia Rueda that the crocodile was found floating in waters just a few hundred meters from where the sardines washed up. He said that though it is common to see crocodiles in the surrounding area, it is very rare to see them dead

A deceased crocodile turned up near the same section of Puntarenas coast where many thousands of dead sardines washed up earlier this week.

(Courtesy of Wilmar Matarrita/Facebook)

Worry is growing among locals and experts as more dead marine creatures turn up in Costa Rica’s Gulf of Nicoya.

On Friday morning, social media messages from locals near Manzanillo, Puntarenas showed an overturned crocodile, apparently dead, in the gulf. Just two days prior, the community was shocked by the appearance of thousands of dead sardines that drifted onto a two-kilometer stretch of coast.

https://www.nbc.na/news/10-000-freshwater-fish-found-dead-lake-oana...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnYinn69tfo

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/200-crows-found-de...

Over 200 crows found dead near Ramanathapuram

February 21, 2017 20:12 IST

More than 200 crows, which helped in keeping the environment clean by disposing of dead animals and garbage to some extent, were found dead in Uchipuli near here on Tuesday. The officials in the departments of forest and animal husbandry suspect ‘wilful poisoning’ of the birds.

People were shocked as the birds were found dead on Ramanathapuram- Rameswaram National Highway, rooftops, slabs and in front of the bus stop, and on police station and school premises.

Drivers of some of the autorickshaws stationed near the bus stop said they saw some crows dropping dead on Monday night, and they were shocked to see many more birds dead on Tuesday.

While some of the birds found dead in front of Uchipuli police station were buried, a bunch of dead birds were run over by speeding vehicles on the road, the local people said.

As these birds, which have close association with human settlements, do not figure in the list of protected birds under the Wildlife Protection Act, forest department has not taken any action.

T. Mohan, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry Department, however, said the department would do the post-mortem and send the samples to forensic department to ascertain the cause of the death, though wilful poisoning was suspected.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/02/24/20-foot-long-hairy-sea-...

20-foot-long 'hairy' sea creature washes up on the sea shore in the Philippines

Feb 24th 2017 5:17PM

Scientists and locals are baffled after a "hairy" sea creature measuring in at almost 20 feet long washed up on a shore in the Philippines this week.

Similar unidentified carcasses have been discovered on beaches in the region for years -- but it's still not entirely clear sea creature they might be.

Some locals speculate that the sea animal, known by some as a "globster," is a new species scientists have not yet discovered, but experts remain unconvinced of the "new" finding.

The head of science and conservation for the animal charity Orca, Lucy Babey, says she's certain the blob is the carcass of a large dead animal.

"It's definitely a very decomposed sea creature in the later stages of decomposition," Babey tells Newsbeat.

"The carcass is about six meters long, but that's obviously not the whole carcass - there's no tail so it would have been bigger than that," Babey says. "That would suggest that it was probably a whale."

"They have numerous whale species in the Philippines such as the blue whale, fin whales and humpback whales as well as smaller whales such as minke whales."

But Babey says there is a possibility that the carcass was once a manatee.

"Unfortunately with this animal it is far too decomposed to be able to get a confident identification on what animal it was," she says.

But people are still curious as to why the creature is "hairy."

Crocodile shark discovered on UK coastline for first time

A crocodile shark – a species that normally lives in tropical waters off Brazil and Australia – has been found on the UK coast for the first time in recorded history.

The animal was found dead on a beach at Hope Cove near Plymouth, according to the National Marine Aquarium in the Devon city.

Experts have identified it as a crocodile shark, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai.

James Wright, the museum’s curator, said: “This species has never been recorded in the UK before, as it is normally found in deep waters during the day in tropical climates, such as Brazil and Australia, then coming shallower at night to feed. 

“It is likely to be an isolated incident, but there have been similar stranding incidents in South Africa. This time of year though UK waters are at their coldest so this occurrence is very unusual.”

Paul Cox, managing director of The Shark Trust, said the discovery was “really interesting”.

“This tiny shark with spiky teeth – hence the name – is the smallest of the mackerel sharks, the group that includes the great white and our own porbeagle and mako sharks,” he said.

“They are relatively uncommon and the UK is well outside the shark’s usual range so it’s a really interesting find.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/crocodile-shark-discovered...   

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/03/10-tons-of-dead-fish-suddenly-s...

Sunday, 5 March 2017

10 tons of dead fish suddenly surfaced in a 2 hour period in Zhejiang PuTuo China : Boat Captain "sea fishing for more than 30 years never seen such a thing"

Fisherman said they caught nearly 10 tons of dead fish in a two hour period.
Translated from Chinese
Almost 10 tons of dead fish have suddenly surfaced in a 2 hour period on the afternoon of February 19th in Zhejiang PuTuo China
Apparently two fishing boats were in operation when suddenly thousands of glistening yellow croaker floated to the surface.
Swarms of them surfaced in the next 2 hours with the fishermen caught nearly 10 tons in total. According to the evening news reports in Zhoushan, Captain Zhang of one of the fishing boats claimed the boats where surrounded by a radius of nearly 100 meters of dead fish.
The other fishing boat captain of Xia Guoping said, it felt incredible, he said he had been sea fishing for more than 30 years, and had never encountered such a thing.
The fish are thought to have died from a toxic substance.

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/03/thousands-of-dead-fish-found-in...

Thousands of dead fish found in a canal in Tainan Taiwan: Nearly two tons of dead fish blamed on climate change

There's an Algae Bloom the Size of Mexico in the Arabian Sea Right Now, and It's Not Good

Norman Kuring/NASA

25 March, 2017. An algae bloom the size of Mexico has appeared in the Arabian Sea, thanks to a growing 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Oman.

It's not the first time the build-up of green slime has appeared during the winter months, but the bloom now stretches all the way from the shores of Oman on the west, to India and Pakistan on the east, turning the waves "almost guacamole-like", according to a NASA biologist. And it's not a good sign for the local ecosystem.

While these algae blooms might look pretty from space or at night - they're the same 'sea sparkles' that are responsible for bioluminescence - up close, they can have serious consequences.

Not only do they smell and look terrible, putting tourists off visiting local beaches, but these blooms can trigger the release of ammonia that poisons nearby marine life.

This Mexico-sized bloom is now forming twice a year in the Arabian Sea, and NASA satellite images show that it's growing.

So what's going on here?

The algae bloom is caused by Noctiluca scintillans - often called sea sparkles - which are microscopic dinoflagellates. These dinoflagellates are strange, tiny creatures that feed on plankton and suck up energy from the Sun via microscopic algae living within their cells.

Norman Kuring/NASA

In a typical marine ecosystem, they make up just a small part of the food chain. But when there's a build-up of plankton, they can form massive blooms that begins to dominate the local area. And that's not great for the environment.

"When the [sea sparkles'] cell breaks down, ammonia is released, and the massive bloom could become a deadly cloud," author and biologist Lisa Gershwin told Business Insider back in 2015, when a similar bloom occurred off the coast of Tasmania in Australia.

"It can change the flavour of the water and it's noxious to fish ... As creatures go, it's more of the unwanted kind. In extreme cases it can cause fish kills; it does it all over the world," she added. That's a massive threat for local industry, seeing as fishing sustains around 120 million people living on the edge of the Arabian Sea.

But what's really concerning is the fact that these dinoflagellate blooms weren't regularly seen until the past decade or so, and now are becoming increasingly common around the planet - particularly in the Arabian Sea.

"It's unusual for Noctiluca to bloom in the open sea and return year after year," said Andrew Juhl, a microbiologist from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty back in 2014.

"All of these observations suggest that something dramatic has changed in the Arabian Sea." A separate team from Columbia University showed in a 2014 Nature Communications paper that the dinoflagellates have become more common in the region due to something called hypoxia, or lack of oxygen.

After monitoring the growth of the algae blooms for three years between 2009 and 2012, they found a dead zone the size of Texas had formed in the northern Arabian sea - which is a region where pollutants from human activity has depleted oxygen levels. It's not entirely clear what's caused this patch of oxygen-starved sea, but the researchers hypothesise that it has something to do with rapid growth in the region over the past 30 years, and increased sewage run-off, which leads to a build of chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorous.

Those conditions are toxic for a lot of marine life, but they're ideal for the plankton that N. scintillans feeds on.

Until recently, organisms called diatoms supported the Arabian Sea food chain. But in the early 2000s, vast blooms of N. scintillans began to build up, and there was a sharp drop in the number of diatoms in the region.

"Within a decade, Noctiluca had virtually replaced diatoms at the base of the food chain, marking the start of a colossal ecosystem shift," a Columbia University press release explains. This isn't just changing things at the bottom of the food chain, but also further up - the crustacean grazers that usually feed on diatoms can't eat the sea sparkles.

There are concerns that the algae blooms could spawn an alternate food chain altogether, with more jellyfish and sea turtles, and less predatory fish. The Arabian Sea isn't the only place suffering, though - as climate change increases ocean temperature around the planet, not only are algae blooms becoming more common, but so are these dead zones.

Warming ocean temperatures world-wide dredge up more nutrients from the ocean floor, which exacerbates the problem.

A 2008 study in Science found that, globally, dead zones have doubled in size each decade and now cover more than 153,000 square km (95,000 square miles) of the planet's oceans.

So we can get used to seeing more of these algae blooms in our oceans in future. But let's just hope researchers find a way to manage the problem before all our oceans are suffocated. Source: sciencealert.com

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/03/snakes-and-reptiles-found-dead....

Tuesday, 28 March 2017

Snakes and reptiles found dead overnight at Zoo Knoxville Tennessee: Unspecified "environmental cause" officials are calling it a "catastrophic loss."

Photo stltoday
Dozens of reptiles have mysteriously died inside a Tennessee zoo in less than a day in what officials are calling a "catastrophic loss."
Zoo Knoxville officials said 33 reptiles, mostly snakes, died inside one building between last Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
The deaths, which are under investigation, do not appear to stem from disease but rather an unspecified "environmental cause," Zoo Knoxville President and CEO Lisa New said in a statement Sunday night.
"This is what we suspect and what we are pursuing, although we are still awaiting further necropsy results," New said.
The animals that died included three critically endangered species - the Louisiana pine snake, Catalina Island rattlesnake and Aruba Island rattlesnake, the zoo said.
"This is a devastating and catastrophic loss to our zoo," New said.
"These animals were important ambassadors who helped so many people understand the role snakes and lizards play in the balance of nature.
We also lost breeding programs for several endangered and threatened species.
It is especially difficult for our herpetologists who have dedicated their careers to caring for and advocating for these animals."
The zoo has more than 400 reptiles housed in four different buildings, zoo spokeswoman Tina Rolen said. The three other reptile facilities were not impacted.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/04/06/dead-fish-lake-michigan-us-s...

CHICAGO (CBS) — Anglers stumbled across a huge number of dead perch this week at a popular fishing spot on the Far South Side.

Pictures taken Tuesday at the 2,000-foot ship slip in what was once the U.S. Steel South Works at 85th Street on the lakefront showed thousands of dead perch piled up on the west end of the slip, often used by fishermen.

By Thursday, the fish were mostly gone, as seagulls were swooping down to eat what was left. Hundreds of mergansers – fish-eating ducks – also were drawn to the slip, presumably for an easy meal.

One fisherman wondered if the birds were in any danger from whatever killed the fish.

Photos of the dead fish were shared with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and a conservation officer said the fish kill was under investigation.

Thousands of dead fish were found Tuesday in the boat slip at the old U.S. Steel South Works site on the Far South Side. [Credit: Facebook/Fishing The Area ( NWI )]

Dead fish found floating in Kali Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/community/dead-fish-spotted...

Jalandhar, April 7

In a grim repeat of 2015, thousands of fish turned up dead at the holy Kali Bein days ahead of Baisakhi. After the fish were found floating, teams of the PPCB, Fisheries Department, MC chief and Sultanpr Lodhi MLA Navtej Cheema rushed to the spot.

While the restoration of the Kali Bein’s flow was solely due to the efforts of Sant B S Seechewal, the dead fish once again exposes the administration’s apathy towards the cause of water conservation.

Seechewal blamed the unfortunate incident on criminal official negligence. While officials have displayed a callous lapse in the upkeep of the Bein, they also do not care for the aquatic life dying.

Rubbishing official claims of unsustainable levels of marine life in the Bein, he said this was just an excuse to cover serious lapses by the former.

He said before this in 2012 and 2015 as well, fishes in the Holy Bein had died in large numbers. He said they had removed trolley —full of fishes from the water course.

He said lack of clean water into the Bein was the prime cause of the disaster. The irrigation department snapped the water flow ahead of Baisakhi which would also effect Sikh devotees who take a dip in the Bein on Baisakhi eve. MLA Navtej Cheema said efforts to restore water supply into the Bein shall be made soon.

PPCB XEN Ashok Garg confirmed that the lack of clean water from the Mukerian Hydel Channel has caused the recent crisis. Sullage from Kapurthala was also dumped into the Bein. We have filed a case against the Kapurthala Nagar Council, he added.

The fisheries department has taken remedial measures to restore oxygen supply in the Bein.

http://www.ticotimes.net/2017/04/11/dead-fish-costa-rica

Thousands of dead fish found in Caribbean rivers

Coast Guard officers and staff from the National System of Conservation Areas collected samples from the river and submitted them for lab analyses.

(Courtesy of FECON)

http://www.readingeagle.com/voices/article/birds-are-dropping-like-...

Reading Eagle: Bill Uhrich | A red-winged blackbird.

Birds are dropping like flies, but why?

"It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a bird " Actually, it's not just one bird, but hundreds falling from the sky.

This has been happening across the country, with birds dropping like flies, and by the hundreds, in a single area. The New York Daily News reported that over 200 blackbirds fell in Cumberland County, N.J., in the fall, with no known cause. The Department of Environmental Protection ran numerous tests on the birds, and spokesperson Larry Hanja told the Daily News that the red-winged blackbirds bled internally and experienced trauma from the impact of hitting the ground, but why they fell to begin with remains undetermined. Tests of a local farm's wheat seeds only found chemicals completely harmless to the blackbirds.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/04/18/dead-fish-mckinley-park-lagoon/

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2017/04/23/67854/Aquatic-disa...

Published : 23 Apr 2017, 20:25:11

The sight of dead fish, other aquatic creatures and even ducks floating in their hundreds on wetland water in Sunamajanj is simply foreboding. Early media reports linking the mass death with ammonia produced from rotten paddy in the submerged area have already been dismissed, terming it misleading. This can happen in a small water body unconnected to any other water channel. But when flash floods have inundated large areas of Sunamganj, such a possibility is ruled out. This area experienced similar natural calamities before but on no occasion did fish, frogs, leeches and ducks embrace deaths, let alone on an epidemic scale.

A report carried in a contemporary has hinted at a possible link between the deaths of aquatic life forms in the water bodies there and the release of uranium in the river system across the border. Earlier the Ranikor River in the West Khasi Hills experienced a similar mass extermination of fish when its water marked a change in colour. The tribal people there suspect that the open-pit mining for uranium in their area was responsible for this. Hundreds of pits abandoned after drilling and extraction of uranium are suspected to be the source of contamination of the upstream Ranikor River. Flash floods may have carried the contaminated water into the water bodies on the Bangladesh side.

A radioactive element, uranium powers nuclear reactor and atomic bombs. Extreme caution is required for handling this heavy metal but in the case of mining in the Indian part of Khasi region, no such caution seems to have been taken after the drilling. The Khasi people have protested the indifference to safe mining practices there and demanded closure of the hundreds of pits left open. 

Now the cause of the death of fish in Ranikor River across the border and in the water bodies in Sunamganj is unlikely to be different. Had the fish in the water bodies of Bangladesh died before the Ranikor incident, it would be possible to conclude that there was no link between the two incidents. Since the Sunamganj disaster follows the Ranikor contamination and its consequences, there is little doubt about any connection between them.

There is no harm in looking for as precious an element as uranium which is used in nuclear reactor for production of power. But its unsafe use can prove disastrous. The Chernobyl nuclear plant accident and the Fukushima plant disaster have shown the world how apocalyptic the destructive power can be. Any naivety on the part of the mining company in the rugged Khasi pocket may have consequences of unimaginable proportion both for the inhabitants there and people living in the lower riparian Bangladesh region. 

A probe by an international expert team is warranted in this case. Release of as powerful and dangerous a material as uranium into the river and water system will have long-term adverse impact not only on aquatic lives but also on human health and their livelihoods for generations. 

If it is proved that uranium is not the killer agent, the focus should be on to finding out the real cause of death of fish, insects and birds in the haor water. Different government agencies either in India or Bangladesh have failed to respond promptly to collect the contaminated water for carrying out test in order to determine the agent responsible for the disaster. It is a grave matter and it should be treated with equal importance.

http://themysteryvault.com/climate-change-or-virus-responsible-for-...

Climate change or virus responsible for tens of thousands of dead fish at St Claire-Detroit River in Michigan

Experts can't agree as more fish die

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/bartow-county/thousands-of-fish-fou...

Thousands of fish found dead in park pond

http://www.independent.com/news/2017/apr/25/scores-birds-sea-lions-...

Scores of Birds, Sea Lions Suffering Likely Domoic Acid Poisoning

Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network Inundated with 216 Sick Birds in April Alone

April 25 2017

The Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute is getting more than 100 calls a day reporting sick and dead sea lions on area beaches.

Since the beginning of April, Julia Parker has seen 216 sick pelagic birds come into the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. There were only four in February, and three in March. Of those 216, mostly loons, grebes, and murres, only 65 survived long enough to be transferred to the International Bird Rescue center in San Pedro. Many more have been found dead on nearby beaches.

Pelagic birds live their lives on the ocean. “They only beach themselves if there’s something wrong: if there’s tar on them, or they’re emaciated and starving,” explained Parker, the network’s Director of Animal Affairs. A large number of the birds found in April displayed neurological symptoms, including confusion, lethargy, and decreased response to stimuli.

It’s not just birds. The Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute, or CIMWI, rehabilitates marine mammals found along the 153 miles of coastline edging Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Every year, they find a few sea lions with similar symptoms: confusion, seizures, head-weaving, and foaming at the mouth. Then, on April 21, “we started getting inundated with calls — 100 calls per day” reporting sea lions stranded on the beaches, said Sam Dover, a veterinarian who runs CIMWI with his wife, Ruth. In the last two weeks, they’ve also seen six beached dolphins, all dead or dying by the time help arrived.

Rescue agencies, research laboratories, and wildlife centers are still compiling data and performing necropsies, but there’s a likely culprit for many of the mortalities: domoic acid, a toxin produced by algae that bloom in the waters off the West Coast, called Pseudo-nitzschia. Dave Caron, a professor of Biological Sciences at USC, runs a laboratory that studies harmful algal blooms. His lab recently analyzed samples from 32 sick sea lions, all of which tested positive for domoic acid toxicity. He’s also had a positive test from a brown pelican brought to International Bird Rescue. Among sea lions, pregnant females are most likely to be affected, and many are prematurely giving birth in Southern California marine centers to pups too young to survive.

By Courtesy Photo

A red-throated loon in the care of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. Sick birds are placed on nets to avoid damaging their keels.

The problem isn’t isolated to the Santa Barbara area, although we appear to be currently seeing the worst of it. “The reports that I’m hearing are from Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange counties — nothing north of Point Conception,” said Lena Chang, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But Pseudo-nitzschia tends to work its way up the coast, as the weather changes and Southern California waters grow too warm for healthy blooms. It’s likely that animal populations further north could be affected in the coming weeks. Raphael Kudela, a professor of Ocean Sciences at UC Santa Cruz who studies the growth and distribution of phytoplankton, tests domoic acid levels in the Monterey Bay. The newest samples, reported Friday, had jumped up by a factor of ten from the previous week.

Pseudo-nitzschia doesn’t automatically produce domoic acid. Kudela explained that healthy blooms of the algae often aren’t toxic. Pseudo-nitzschia blooms best in water that is warm but high in the nutrients brought to the surface by upwelling — cold, deep water rising up to the surface. While researchers don’t understand all the factors involved, evidence suggests that if the blooms are stressed — by conditions like excess carbon dioxide, too much copper, or not enough iron — they will begin to produce toxins. Some researchers think that climate change-caused ocean warming and acidification could be contributing to the problem.

Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller The Birds was reportedly inspired by a story reported by the Santa Cruz Sentinel on August 18, 1961. Thousands of seabirds had swarmed coastline communities near the north end of Monterey Bay, crashing into buildings and falling onto the streets. (They appear not to have actually attacked people.) Fifty years later, a group of researchers, led by Sibel Bargu of Louisiana State University, analyzed archived zooplankton samples and diagnosed the birds with domoic acid toxicity.

In 2015, a massive domoic acid outbreak spread from San Pedro to Alaska, “the biggest toxic bloom and the highest concentration that has ever been documented,” Kudela said. The toxin contaminated fisheries and poisoned large numbers of marine animals, including seabirds, sea lions, and whales. Corinne Gibble, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who runs the state’s Seabird Program, says that that this year’s outbreak, while significant, isn’t as bad as 2015’s infamous event.

Domoic acid toxin levels wax and wane: “There’s no typical year; it’s sporadic, episodic,” said Caron. His lab’s recent samples show seven to eight parts per billion in coastal waters. That’s certainly high, and consistent with a toxic event, but the highest concentrations, like those found in the 2015 algal bloom, tend to be between 25 and 50 parts per billion. Caron cautioned that domoic acid levels are hard to test accurately: “This stuff is patchy,” he explained. “We’re sampling a very small part of the coastal ocean, but there’s a big ocean out there.” For that reason, the high levels of marine-mammal illnesses are significant. “Marine mammals are a sentinel species that can indicate whether you’re having a tiny patch or a widespread bloom,” Caron says. “Somewhere out there, there’s quite a bit of toxin.”

There are repercussions for humans as well. A statement issued on April 13 from the California Department of Public Health warned people not to eat bivalve shellfish (like mussels, clams, and whole scallops) recreationally harvested in Santa Barbara County.

For the animals, a limited amount can be done. Much of the care that a wildlife center can provide is supportive — flushing toxins with subcutaneous fluid, providing food that a sick animal won’t necessarily eat. Rebecca Duerr, a veterinarian who is a research director at International Bird Rescue, also treats seabirds’ neurological symptoms with medication and says that the vast majority recover, but that of the 160 birds she estimates have entered nearby wildlife centers, only 60 lived long enough to be transferred to her facility. “I presume we are currently getting the less affected birds,” she says.

Dover thinks that being transported to an unfamiliar place can cause sea lions undue stress and threaten recovery. For an otherwise healthy sea lion with relatively low exposure to domoic acid, the best chance for survival is being allowed to recuperate in familiar surroundings, he explained. “We put a stake on the beach, tell people what’s going on, put a barrier around the animal,” and monitor it for the next few days, he said. A sicker animal will be taken to CIMWI, but “for a heavy dose, it’s pretty much a death sentence anyway,” Dover said. Domoic acid poisoning causes hippocampal atrophy, a permanent shrinking of the part of the brain that contains an animal’s “mental map” of the right places to go for food, breeding, and shelter.

“At this point, the best thing we can do is try to understand the conditions that lead to these blooms, so we can predict them and have a response ready,” said Caron. Kudela, with a team of scientists working out of UCSC, is doing just that. His lab has developed a “habitat model” that forecasts regions where high domoic acid levels will appear. The model is a boon for marine animal rehabilitators. “It’s helping them guide their decisions, adjust workforce numbers, and anticipate large numbers of animals coming to centers,” he said.

The model also offers the potential for intervention and management in the future. Point-source pollution is more straightforward. Kudula explained that nutrient-rich runoff from agriculture and septic systems helps some types of algal blooms to develop. “We want to reduce runoff anyway,” he explained, “but now it’s an obvious strategy.” His team has discussed more systematic kinds of intervention, like trying to manage water temperatures over time. But the simplest solution could be greater environmental awareness overall: “If we [as a culture] were serious about mitigating climate change, we’d probably reduce some of these events as well.”

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/thousands-of-dead-fish-found-on-lake-...

Thousands of Dead Fish Found on Lake Michigan Shore

At least the seagulls were happy.

CBS Chicago reports that many Lake Michigan angler was welcomed with this troubling site. On the far south side thousands of perch have been found dead or dying on the lake’s surface. So many fish were dying that it nearly covered the 2,000 foot slip.

The good news is that the DNR is looking into the issue, although at the time of this writing, the cause is still unknown. However, it’s not the first time there has been a massive, initially mysteri.... In the past, causes have included the spread of a parasite as well as a large movement of fish to a shallow area, causing an oxygen deficit.

I imagine several ducks, seagulls, and other fish enjoyed the nice meal this provided. I would not worry about the birds catching whatever killed these fish. While it is not impossible, it would have to be a pretty potent toxin to pass into the birds.

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/05/noaa-fisheries-declaring-recent...

NOAA Fisheries declaring recent deaths of 41 humpback whales from Maine to North Carolina to be an unusual mortality event

An excellent compilation

http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/animal-deaths-birds-fish-end-time...

Mass Animal Deaths for 2017

If the information on this page causes you concern regarding the future, then see what must I do to be saved?

Below is a list of worldwide mass animal deaths for 2017, with pages also for mass die offs from the previous 6 years. There are animals dying all over the world today in huge numbers, due to the polluted state of the sea and air. Millions of Fish and massive numbers of various marine creatures are washing ashore dead. Birds are falling dead out of the sky, and millions of poultry and wildlife are dying from avian flu. The animals of the land are also dying in large numbers. Now although animals and fish have been dying all throughout history, we have not seen the massive consistant numbers that we are seeing today. Please remember! This is just one of the MANY signs of the last days. It's time to wake up!

In many of these events people from all walks of life are saying that they have "never seen anything like this before".

Some people say this is all a mystery. Some say these are all natural die offs. Some people say that Chemtrails is the cause. Some say this is caused by Fukushima. Some people say this is due to man's pollution. And others say this is God's judgment. Whatever the cause, we know one thing for certain, that this was prophesied to happen in the Bible.

Hosea 4:1-3 ...'Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.'

Revelation 11:18 ...'And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.'

Continues with the massive list of die-offs with links ..............................

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/massive-sea-creature-indonesia-...

This Giant Dead Sea Creature Washed Up On An Island, And It’s Freaking Everyone Out

The 50-foot carcass is turning the water a deep, eerie shade of red.

Images posted online of an enormous carcass that washed up on the shore of an Indonesian island are captivating people across the world.

The Jakarta Globe calls the massive, rotting body a giant squid, and reports that a resident of Seram Island discovered the 49-foot dead creature on Tuesday.

But three marine experts told HuffPost that the animal actually appears to be some sort of baleen whale.

YouTube/Patasiwa Kumbang Amalatu

Some shots show what appears to be a spine.

YouTube/Patasiwa Kumbang Amalatu

The material seen to the left resembles the baleen seen in whales that filter-feed.

“Giant squid are invertebrates and there are clearly bones visible (jaw, skull, vertebrate) so I am very comfortable saying it’s some type of rorqual whale,” said Regina Asmutis-Silvia, executive director of Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

“Certain species of baleen whales (rorquals) have ‘ventral grooves’ which run from their chin to their belly button. It is stretchy tissue that expands when they feed,” she added.

She identified these grooves in images and also included photos in which she pointed to what she believes are the whale’s jaw bone and skull.

Edith Widder, CEO and senior scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, said it was difficult to determine from images alone but that some photos show what looks like baleen plates.

“My guess is it’s a baleen whale,” she said.

George Leonard, chief scientist at Ocean Conservancy, said he initially thought the animal might be a giant squid, but agreed it was likely a whale after seeing images highlighting the bones and baleen.

“Trying to identify huge ocean creatures half a [world] away from a grainy video is tough to do; but once people start sharing specific information that begins to narrow in on defining characteristics of the creature, the identity begins to come into focus,” he said.

Footage from the scene shows the decaying body turning the water around it a deep red.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQaDio772z8

Thousands of Cicadas Hatching Unexpectedly in Maryland (May 16)

A brood of 17-year cicadas not scheduled to emerge until 2021 is coming out of the ground 4 years early.

“Brood X” last emerged in 2004, and the bugs appear all over Maryland, as far north as northern New York, as far south as Georgia and as far west as Illinois.

Cicadas overwhelm tree branches across Maryland once every 17 years, like clockwork. But something is sounding their alarm clocks four years early.

Sources

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/environment/bs-md-early-c...

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/05/16/cicadas-maryland/

http://www.wbaltv.com/article/thousands-of-cicadas-hatching-unexpec...

Thought your commute was bad? Swarm of bees descends on rush-hour London

https://www.rt.com/uk/388711-bee-swarm-london-greenwich/

Thousands of bees caused frightened pedestrians to duck for cover on Greenwich Church Street, close to the famous Greenwich market.

Footage posted on social media shows a “biblical scene” of insects buzzing around, with onlookers  bringing traffic to a standstill.

Abigail Hering, who posted the footage on Twitter, said she saw the bees congregating around the traffic lights as she left her nearby Beadoir jewelry shop.

“When I left work, I went to walk towards my car, they were on the traffic lights.

“Millions of them on the traffic lights. And then at that point they’d come lower so they were actually buzzing around the people,” she said, according to the Daily Mirror.

“And while I was videoing them I looked down and I could see literally the front of me covered in bees. They were on me.

“They were on everybody. They were in your hair, on your top.”

Hering, who claims the spectacle of the buzzing swarm lasted for at least an hour, said she found the whole incident “quite exciting.”

Others found the swarm “hideous.”

Phil Clarkson, from Brockley Bees, said although no one was stung, people were “understandably” concerned.

“But then when we talked to people and explained to them that actually a swarm is very benign, the likelihood of getting stung is very, very rare, and in most cases it’s only when people swat them or squash them on their body that the bee will sting them.”

Transport for London (TfL) Traffic News tweeted a picture of the bees resting on the traffic lights.

“Greenwich #Beetime,” it joked.

“The pedestrian crossing on Greenwich one way system is partially obstructed by bees. Please approach with caution.”

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/05/thousands-of-dead-fish-wash-up-...

Thursday, 18 May 2017

Thousands of dead fish wash up in an area of Vietnam where 100 million tones have died in the last 2 years

Photo vietnambreakingnews.com
Thousands of fish suddenly died in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal, HCM City, on May 16.
The dead fish can be found floating from Dien Bien Phu Bridge in Binh Thanh District to Bridge 6 in Phu Nhuan District.
From Bong Bridge to Hoang Hoa Tham Bridge, the dead fish almost covered the whole water surface.
Rubbish was also floating along with the dead fish which include carps, tilapia, perch and other fishes.
Many fish are already decomposing.
Nguyen Van Tu, a local in Binh Thanh District, said fish started dying since earlier that day.
"The heavy rain yesterday might have swept the rubbish into the canal and caused pollution.
I often fed them with bread but today, no fish surfaced to eat.
Maybe it's another mass fish death like previous years," he said.
HCM City authorities proposed in April to drain the wastewater in the sewer and water in the canal to Saigon River to reduce pollution and save the fish.
For the past three years, many fish have died in the canal.
Last year, nearly 10 tonnes of fish died during the transition from the dry to rainy season.
This reached 20 tonnes in 2015 and 70 tonnes in 2016.
There is another proposal to reduce a third of 470 tonnes of fish living in the canal, most of them are tilapia.
A vast amount of fish have been released by the people on special occasions and multiplied as tilapia has a fast breeding rate.
The canal is overloaded and can't provide enough space and food to the fish.

https://telanganatoday.com/thousands-fish-wash-shamirpet-lake

Thousands of fish wash up on Shamirpet Lake

Published: 22nd May 2017   12:05 am

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-39888282

Jellyfish 'mega swarm' washes up on four beaches

Thousands of jellyfish have washed up on beaches in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in what a conservationist has described as a "mega swarm".

More than 300 barrel jellyfish washed up in New Quay, Ceredigion.

And in Pembrokeshire there have been sightings in Tenby, Saundersfoot and Newport.

Sarah Perry from Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre said: "This is definitely a mega swarm. I have never seen them this big before."

She said the creatures do wash up each year but added that this was "unusual because of the number on our shores and the size of them".

 Underwater footage from New Quay

Ms Perry said she believed the recent warm weather had sparked the boom in jellyfish, which can grow up to 88cm (35in) in diameter.

Numbers have grown in recent years because of mild winters allowing plankton, their main food source, to thrive.

Holidaymaker Wilson Dyer, from Suffolk, said: "I've been holidaying here for 40 years and I've never seen this before.

"They're all the way up the Cardigan Bay coast. It's intriguing, it looks like they all keeled over at the same time."

More than 300 barrel jellyfish were washed up on beaches

Conservationist Ms Perry said the abundance of washed up jellyfish could attract feeding leatherback turtles which would be an "amazing sight".

She encouraged the public not to move or touch the jellyfish.

"While they're relatively harmless they can, if touched, leave you with a rash similar to what you may get after touching a stingy nettle," she said.

Moth invasion transforms a street into 'something like a movie' with cars and trees covered in a thick layer of ghostly white cobwebs - Cardiff UK

A moth invasion has turned a street into a set from a horror film, covering trees and cars in ghostly white cobwebs.

In scenes enough to make the most avid naturist's skin crawl, countless Ermine Moth caterpillars have descended on one unfortunate Cardiff street. 

The bugs have draped cars, trees and people's homes in their protective webs - leaving some residents 'freaked out'. 

Terrina Leech, whose parents live in Llanishen, said: 'It's affecting people's cars and my mum has a disability and they are all over the handrail and she is not able to hold it.

'The cobwebs are like something out of a movie but it's real. I was freaked out by it. I get out of the car and run to my mum's front door.

'People have jet washed their cars and the next day they are back on.

'The council has been out and they have said that they can't do anything and when they turn into moths we should keep the windows closed.'

Butterfly Conservation, whose president is Sir David Attenborough, say that while the webs evoke an 'eerie appearance', the insects are completely harmless.

A spokesman said: 'Occasionally whole trees can be covered by their webs.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4537302/Countless-moths-dra... 

https://yamkin.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/dozens-of-dead-sea-birds-fo...

May 30, 2017 

Dozens of dead sea birds found washed up on a beach in San Pedro de la Paz, Chile

An unusual find was made by neighbors of the Michaihue sector of the San Pedro de la Paz commune, which through a video captured the presence of several dead black fardelas on the beach near the Olas condominium.

 

After realizing what had happened, the inhabitants warned the situation to police officers, after which staff from the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) attended to perform the corresponding skills.

 

The professionals managed to account for about 25 of these dead birds , from which they took samples, which will be sent to a laboratory of the institution with the aim of ruling out exotic diseases together with determining the cause of death.

Courtesy of biobiochile.cl

http://tinyurl.com/y9gg4855

http://enenews.com/tv-huge-number-of-sea-creatures-washing-up-dead-...

TV: Huge number of sea creatures washing up dead along West Coast — “It’s a crisis all along Southern California… large numbers getting sick and dying”

Published: June 13th, 2017 at 9:53 am ET

KGTV, Jun 6, 2017: Dead dolphin mystery explained by Scripps Insitution of Oceanography — Dead dolphins are washing ashore in the South Bay, and lifeguards believe algae is killing them. The first dead dolphin was discovered Sunday night at the foot of Elkwood Ave. in Imperial Beach, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. Deputies found two more on Tuesday.[Clarissa Anderson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at U.C. San Diego] told 10News she does not see a connection between the current bloom and February’s massive sewage spill in the Tijuana River basin because the bloom is more widespread.

KGTV transcript, Jun 6, 2017: Now to a developing story — large numbers of sea animals getting sick and dying off our coast… But we’re not alone, it’s a crisis all along the Southern California coast… Stranded dolphins have washed ashore… Clarissa Anderson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at U.C. San Diego: “The numbers of sea lion strandings we have seen is pretty extreme and a huge number, of not only animals, but a wide variety of species of marine birds have stranded… a lot of deaths… The reality is it is happening all over Southern California simultaneously.”

Coronado Times, Jun 10, 2017: Residents of Imperial Beach and Coronado say they have seen a spike in deceased marine life on local beaches… “I am not a marine biologist, but I have certainly observed an uptick in deceased marine animals,” says Coronado Cays resident and surfer Daron Case. “The timing coincides with the sewage spill.” There have been reports of pelicans, sea lions, and dolphins, and fish washed up on the shore line and floating lifelessly in the water.

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/261005279-story

Hundreds of dead seagulls litter Jefferson Avenue

DETROIT, Mich. (WJBK) - Hundreds of dead seagulls are filling Jefferson Ave, creating a major mess.

Residents near Jefferson Ave, just north of the Rouge Bridge, don't know what to make of the surge in birds. 

"I thought they were dive-bombing the cars, I don't know what's going on."

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tells FOX 2 young birds live nearby over and then  walk across Jefferson and they get squashed.

The DNR has done testing on the carcasses of these goals. The preliminary findings show

some of them died because of dehydration, others died because of the cars.

They say that most of estimated 300 or so dead gulls are less than 1 year old.

However, a DDOT Bus-driver says he's seen plenty more.

"There must be 10,000 of them," he said. "Last year there were 3,000-4,000 this year they're 10,000 and they want to mate."

The DNR does not believe that these birds pose any environmental hazard. 

As far as moving them, they said it wouldn't do any good because these seagulls like it here, except for the cars.