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

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

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

'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

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

'Once in a millennium': Record-breaking rogue wave measured off Vancouver Island
A massive ocean wave that was tracked off the west coast of Vancouver Island in 2020 is now considered the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded, according to scientists at the University of Victoria.
Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News-Vancouver Island

Rare King-of-the-salmon fish found on Vancouver Island
A rare deep-sea fish was discovered on Vancouver Island this month. A pair of friends, Natalie Mueller and Andie Lafrentz, were walking along Whiffin Spit in Sooke on Sept. 19 when they spotted what they first thought was a “large piece of scrap metal.”
Sooke, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News - Vancouver Island

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

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

More escaped Atlantic salmon show up off Washington, no reports from B.C. waters
Point Williams, Washington, United States
Vancouver Sun

The warm-water blob is back off the B.C. coast
The blob is the popular name for a huge patch of warm water that has reached above normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

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

Tsunami warning canceled after 8.2 offshore earthquake sent people in many Alaska coastal communities to higher ground
The Tsunami Warning Center recorded waves of less than 1 foot above normal as a result of the earthquake.
Chignik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Up to 305,000 invasive adult Atlantic salmon escape fish farm in San Juan Islands
There were 305,000, 10 lb Atlantic salmon when the pen at the fish farm in the San Juan Islands burst open on Saturday.
Anacortes, Washington, United States
Daily Hive

Oily water continues to ooze into Port Valdez as snow on the ground complicates response
The source of the spill, a drain area about a quarter-mile uphill from the coastline, was stopped on Monday, authorities reported. And oil on the water has been contained to a site near a small boat harbor at the terminal where tankers load up with oil.
Valdez, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Amid warm winter, scientists say Alaska sea ice conditions are ‘shockingly bad’
That hurts coastal communities that hunt on the ice. But colder weather may be coming, at least to some portions of Alaska. Ice should be hugging the coast near the village of Gambell, perched on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, said Mayor Susan Apassingok, on Tuesday. But ice isn't there.
Pacific Ocean-Bering Sea, East Coast, Alaska, United States

What British Columbians can do in the aftermath of the Atlantic salmon farm spill
There could be a major ecological impact to the coastal waters stretching from British Columbia to Oregon after an Atlantic salmon farm near the San Juan Islands, just east of Victoria, accidentally spilled thousands of live fish into local waters.
Anacortes, Washington, United States
Daily Hive

Winds down but high water just starting as ‘exceptionally strong storm’ batters Northwest Alaska
Forecasters say they are expecting significant coastal erosion from Utqiagvik to Unalakleet from the second severe-weather event to hit the region in three weeks.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Humpback whale nearly knocks paddler off board near Whittier
Stand up paddle boarder near miss with humpback whale in Prince William Sound.
Whittier, Alaska, United States

Colder weather brings Bering Sea ice extent and thickness to near normal, benefiting hunters
Even if a storm does hit Western Alaska, thicker sea ice will always be more resistant than last year’s ice was at this time, a climatologist says.
Nome, Alaska, United States

First fall storm of the year damages road in Utqiagvik
The storm brought winds up to 40 mph to communities from Wainwright to Kaktovik, weather officials said. High waves damaged a road in Utqiagvik, affecting around five houses, residents reported.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Ice roads and tundra travel: Rural Arctic access complicated by warmer winters
While industry has had to adapt to changes, many locals are still struggling to find a new normal amidst the shifting seasons.

Along Utqiaġvik’s eroding coast, hope that a seawall can help keep the community safe
In Utqiaġvik, where the coast is eroding at some of the fastest rates in the nation, storms, flooding and thawing permafrost damage houses, roads and cultural sites. Ice forms later each year and storms are becoming longer and more severe.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

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

Port Heiden loses road access to safe harbor and old village
Port Heiden’s road to its harbor and old village site is crumbling into the sea and the lake on the other side of it will likely breach soon. “The road is basically gone. [Erosion]’s cut right half into the road,” said Scott Anderson, the Native Village of Port Heiden’s Tribal Environmental Director.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States

Bering Sea ice is at an ‘unprecedented’ low right now
“You could take your sailboat and sail from Dillingham all the way to Little Diomede and never see much more than an ice cube.

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

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

‘This is it’: Cordova fishermen tell harrowing tales of trip home in waves whipped by unseasonable storm
One boat lost its net while at least two other fishermen say giant waves threatened to capsize their vessels as they tried to reach safe harbor.
Cordova, Alaska, United States

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

Possible algae bloom turns seawater red off Juneau
The overriding theory is that it's a bloom of algae brought on by rising water temperatures.
Juneau, Alaska, United States

Dismal Copper River salmon run prompts ‘unprecedented’ shutdown of dipnetting at Chitina
Biologists blame the Blob of warm water in the Gulf of Alaska for poor sockeye returns that also led to the second lowest commercial harvest in 50 years.
Chitina, Alaska, United States

Tsunami warning issued following 7.4 magnitude earthquake off Alaska Peninsula
A tsunami warning was issued for areas along the Alaska Peninsula coastline following the 7.4 earthquake, which was centered 62 miles from Sand Point.
In this post, you can find links to the US Tsunami Warning Centers, as well as information on creating home emergency kits during COVID.
We hope everyone stays safe as this event unfolds, and welcome observations of conditions along the Alaska Peninsula.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

A respected outdoorsman, this 26-year-old was traveling to get firewood when he disappeared
When Jazmin James hadn’t returned to Tununak by Easter Sunday as planned, the family reported him missing. His snowmachine was found on sea ice, partly submerged in water.
Tununak, Alaska, United States

Erosion is creeping toward Alaska’s coastal radar sites
The Air Force is trying to better understand the erosion bearing down on its valuable radar sites.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Storms pummel Bering Sea islands after ‘crazy’ ice melt-off
Recent storms and warm seas melted a vast stretch of ice in the Bering Sea, leaving some islands surrounded by water when they should be locked in ice.
Diomede, Alaska, United States

Alaska gets federal disaster help after North Slope storm
A September storm caused damage in Utqiagvik, and Gov. Bill Walker declared a disaster there last month.

Bad weather blocks cleanup of oil spill in fragile waters near Kodiak
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak flew over the area of an oil spill in Shuyak Strait on Wednesday afternoon, but weather continued to hamper response efforts, the Coast Guard said.
Shuyak Strait, Alaska, United States

With warm December winds, shaken faith in Arctic weather
Folks here are famous for being able to handle the cold, but anything wet in December has always made us nervous. Especially wet falling from the sky. Lately, weather, our favorite nemesis, has broken the rules. Our confidence in the most-trustworthy feature of the Arctic -- winter -- has been wounded.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Lack of ice allows dredging to start early
Previously, the dredging started around May and ran through October, but the past three winters it has started earlier and run longer.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

North Pacific 'super storm' makes its way toward Western Alaska coastline
The National Weather Service predicted one of the largest storms on record blasting up the Bering Sea coast. Could this be the first Arctic hurricane?

Scientists Find Worrisome Lesions on Endangered Southern Resident Orcas
The peer-reviewed research published this week in the Public Library of Science suggests that 99% of the orcas studied had photographic evidence of skin lesions. Researchers evaluated photos from nearly 20,000 orca sightings from 2004 to 2016, finding that lesions — often gray patches and gray targets on the orcas' skin — generally became more prevalent over time.
Seattle, Washington, United States
The Daily Chronicle

East Cook Inlet clamming to remain closed again this summer as population still lags
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game found an unexpectedly low number of clams during final surveying, but the agency still plans to monitor them in support of perhaps opening the fishery in years to come.
Clam Gulch, Alaska, United States

Holy crab! Rare, weirdly colored crustaceans found in Norton Sound
The red king crab that wasn't red appeared in Nome on Fourth of July.
Nome, Alaska, United States

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