LEO Network

About the LEO Network
The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
Continue

Observations

Massive ocean sunfish spotted off Vancouver Island
Jackie Hildering was astonished by a recent photo depicting an enormous Mola mola submitted to the Marine Education Resource Society citizen science project, which is collecting data on two different species of sunfish along the Pacific Coast.
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Island

Bluefin tuna washes up far from home in Salish Sea
Joe Gaydos found a bluefin tuna washed up on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the fish usually roam the more temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Crescent Beach, Orcas Island, Washington, USA
CBC

B.C.’s sea life is bouncing back, slowly, after the 2021 heat dome
One UBC scientist says his early estimation that a billion creatures died from the 2021 heat dome was too low. Today, life is returning to areas scorched by last year’s unprecedented heat wave. The die off was patchy and the plants and animals in the intertidal zone that survived the heat wave “are the parents to the next generation,” Harley said.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

Sea cucumber die-off near Vancouver Island
When Kathleen Reed descended for her usual weekly dive off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., last Saturday she was shocked by how many dead sea cucumbers she saw. Experts and harvesters fear that sea cucumbers are being hit by an illness similar to sea star wasting disease.
Dolphin Beach, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Mysterious smelly fat blobs pollute West Vancouver beach
District of West Vancouver staff say they cleaned up 40 litres of fat from Ambleside Beach. Vancouver Coastal Health and the province are investigating.
West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
North Shore News

B.C.'s heat wave may be to blame for several cases of shellfish poisoning
Several people have fallen ill with food poisoning after eating shellfish in B.C. in the last 10 days, and health officials are warning that warm ocean waters might be to blame.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

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

Southern resident whales returning later to Salish Sea in ‘drastic’ change
Southern resident killer whales made their first appearance in the Salish Sea on Canada Day after more than two months with only a brief sighting off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Strait of Georgia
Times Colonist

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

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

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

Juvenile grey whale caught on camera in Nanoose Bay
A Parksville photographer has captured some stunning images of a grey whale that has been hanging out in the community of Nanoose Bay over the past several days.
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News

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

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

Seabird Aggregation Over Abundant Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax)
Professor John Reynolds shared the following video of his observation of a large aggregation of gulls and other coastal seabirds over a large aggregation of Northern Anchovy at White Rock, BC.
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
Twitter

West Vancouver closes popular beach due to bacteria levels
Another Metro Vancouver beach has been closed to swimmers following concerns about bacteria.
Ambleside Beach, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News

Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) in Tsawwassen
The bird flew in on the mudflats at high tide and joined a small flock of Western Sandpipers. This is the second record for the province of BC.
Beach Grove lagoon at Boundary Bay Regional Park, BC, Canada
Rare Bird Alert
Ilya Povalyaev, Melissa Hafting, Mike Toochin, Sharon Toochin and Richard Swanston

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

TenTen Creek return of Salmon Species
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada

The Salish Sea’s orcas are late for their annual summer visit, the latest sign something is wrong
Researchers say their absence is a stark reminder that the orcas are slowly starving to death because there is not enough Chinook salmon to sustain them.
Salish Sea
The Star

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

Rare white ‘ghost orca’ spotted near Nanaimo
The jury is still out on exactly what the cause is, but the unusually-coloured calf spotted near Nanaimo on Tuesday is already making waves.
Northern Strait of Georgia
Global News

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

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

Eagle preys on duck on Saanich Peninsula
‘I’ve never seen that before in my life’
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria News

72 dead baby sharks removed from dead pregnant shark during necropsy at Coles Bay
Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the University of Victoria’s Juanes Laboratory think the shark came into shallow water to give birth and potentially had complications, as there are no signs of trauma.
Coles Bay, Saanich, BC

Pregnant shark washes up on Vancouver Island shoreline
The carcass of a nearly four-metre-long bluntnose sixgill shark was found on Coles Bay Tuesday.
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Island

Pregnant Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus) in Coles Bay
A pregnant bluntnose sixgill shark found on the banks of Coles Bay may have come in to shallow water to give birth and died from complications.
Cole Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Heart of White Rock breaks along with pier
Long time White Rock resident and CBC Producer Joan Marshall reflects on what the pier has meant to her and her community.

Three new humpback whales identified off east Vancouver Island
Three new humpback whales have been identified off the East Coast of Vancouver Island as that species makes a massive comeback in our waters.
Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Red-brown algae blooms spotted in Puget Sound
If you see something that looks like tomato soup in Puget Sound, here's why.
Puget Sound, Washington, United States
KING

'Red tide' algal blooms appearing around B.C. coastal waters
A species commonly referred to as “red tide” has been spotted around B.C. coastal waters over the past month.
Coastal Waters, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Brown ocean water at White Rock beach caused by ‘algae bloom’
City released a notice Thursday, saying the water is safe
Peace Arch News

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

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Targeting Forage Fish in Open Water
Island View Beach, British Columbia, Canada

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

'Set net' of Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Island View Beach, Saanich, British Columbia, Canada

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

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

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

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

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

Cholera found in herring eggs from Oceanside area
NANAIMO — Island Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control are warning anyone who's eaten herring eggs recently to stay hydrated and safely dispose of any remaining eggs.
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
NanaimonewsNOW

Atlantic salmon arrive in French Creek -- Not in a good way!
Atlantic salmon, believed to be part of a cohort that escaped from a U.S.-based fish farm on Aug. 19, are being hauled in by anglers fishing out of French Creek on mid-Vancouver Island. Cameron Whe…
French Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Fisherynation.com

Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) in Port Moody Arm
Port Moody Arm, British Columbia, Canada

Herring spawn on eelgrass
Coal Port, Delta, British Columbia, Canada

Herring spawn near Lily Point
Near Lily Point, Point Roberts, Washington, United States

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

Manila Clam (Venerupis philippinarum) Die-Off
Manila Clam (*Venerupis philippinarum*) Die-off observed - possibly related to freezing temperatures.
Lummi Bay, Bellingham, Washington (Lummi Nation), United States

Sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) school
Island View Beach

Bellingham Bay Water Merging
On a field trip with Northwest Indian College Geology class to Chuckanut Drive saw water with apparent difference in color.
Bellingham, Washington

Juvenile Pacific Herring ball (Clupea pallasii)
Henderson Point, North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada

Plumose anemones (Metridium spp.) detaching from rocks
Bowyer Island, Howe Sound, British Columbia, Canada

Surf smelt (Hypomesus prestiosus) school
15m north of the Island View Beach boat ramp

Increasing Sea Surface Temperature at Entrance Island
Entrance Island, British Columbia, Canada

Large school of post-larval California anchovy (Engraulis mordax)
Trincomali Channel, Valdes Island

California anchovy (Engraulis mordax) schools
Turnstall Bay, Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Are Vancouver's recent Gray Whale sightings the start of regular seasonal visits?
Tuesday’s (September 29) sighting of a gray whale swimming and possibly feeding right off the Stanley Park Seawall brings recent sightings up to three in that area. It isn’t clear if it is the same whale or different whales in the widely reported incidents since August 12. One whale, perhaps the same animal each time, was observed for days in the same area in English Bay, sometimes travelling into Burrard Inlet and off West Vancouver’s Ambleside Beach.
Stanley Park Seawall, British Columbia, Canada
Georgia Straight

Big Mama and the return of the humpback whales to the Salish Sea
Not a single humpback whale was seen in the Salish Sea for nearly a hundred years
Salish Sea
Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly

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

Support

Observation Template