Animals
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Fish

Whale hello there! Rare sighting of Beluga from Arctic waters seen feeding in River Thames, UK


RT
Tue, 25 Sep 2018 14:39 UTC
The whale was spotted near Gravesend in Kent
© ROB POWELL/LNPThe whale was spotted near Gravesend in Kent
A Beluga whale, native to the waters surrounding the arctic, has been spotted in the River Thames, marine life rescuers have confirmed.

The sighting has caused excitement on social media, partly due to a dearth of exciting wildlife in the British Isles.

Ecologist, Dave Andrews, was the first to spot the impressive creature, watching it as it ate around the barges near Gravesend, Kent.

After British Divers Marine Life Rescue were alerted, they confirmed the sighting, noting that the whale seemed to be "swimming strongly."

Spokesperson, Julia Cable, warned the public not to get close to the creature, but rather "to watch it from the shore."


Comment: Is there some change occurring in our planet's waters that are driving these rare sightings?

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Attention

Dead whale washes ashore in Amagansett, New York

Taylor K. Vecsey
The East Hampton Star
Mon, 24 Sep 2018 11:09 UTC
WHALE
A dead minke whale washed up on Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett Monday afternoon.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society was called to the beach for the 12 to 14-foot whale at around 4:30 p.m.

The A.M.C.S. is working with East Hampton Town Marine Patrol and the East Hampton Town Highway Department to figure out how to remove the whale from the beach.
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Attention

Hurricane Florence brings whale ashore on Caswell Beach, North Carolina

Zachery Eanes
The News and Observer
Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:40 UTC
A dead whale washed up ashore in Caswell Beach, N.C., in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
© Chad HicksA dead whale washed up ashore in Caswell Beach, N.C., in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
Chad Hicks, the town administrator for Caswell Beach, said the small beach town on Oak Island is doing pretty well — at least compared to some of its neighboring towns — in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

"If it wasn't for all the limbs and siding down, it would look almost normal," he said, estimating around 50 people weathered the storm out there.

The golf course on the town's side of the island, around 30 minutes south of Wilmington, probably had the most severe damage, losing a lot of its trees and flooding, he added.

One thing that did stand out to residents, however, was the whale that washed ashore after the storm.
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Attention

Warning over whale carcass at Wattamolla beach in New South Wales, Australia

Andrew Pearson
Illawarra Mercury
Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:46 UTC
The whale carcass floating upside down
© Anthony Turner / Surf Life Saving IllawarraThe whale carcass floating upside down in the water off Wattamolla beach in the Royal National Park on Sunday.
Visitors to a beach in the Royal National Park, north of Wollongong, have been told to steer clear of the water.

A dead whale floating close to Wattamolla beach has increased shark activity in the area, forcing the closure of the popular swimming spot amid safety fears.

An alert on the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) website has urged visitors not to swim, snorkel or scuba dive at the beach "due to a decaying whale carcass and shark activity that is currently in the immediate area".

Penalties apply, the NPWS has warned.
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Fish

"Aggressive" green crabs threaten Canada's coastal ecosystem


Sputnik
Sun, 23 Sep 2018 18:40 UTC
green crab canada
© YouTube/Wochit News
A new variety of green crabs is characterized by its aggressiveness.

Crab-mutants threaten the populations of blue and sand mussels and destroy algae on the rocky coast of Maine, US.

Green crabs have inhabited the northern United States since the late 19th century but have recently interbred with other species of crabs that come from the coast of Nova Scotia in Canada. A new subspecies poses a threat to local inhabitants, LiveScience reported.

Comment: While the human population may be unhappy with the new set up, messing around with nature can often have seriously negative, unintended consequences: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: Are Cells the Intelligent Designers? Why Creationists and Darwinists Are Both Wrong

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Tornado1

As Hurricane Florence flooding recedes, dead fish cover eastern North Carolina highways


Sputnik
Sun, 23 Sep 2018 16:39 UTC
dead fish road hurrican florence
© Twitter/MatrixityHurricane Florence aftermath
US fire crews dealing with the clean-up operation after hurricane floodwaters receded made an unexpected discovery: dead fish spread across the highway.

The flooding from the deadly hurricane pushed the fish from their natural habitat and scattered them along an interstate highway, the Penderlea Fire Department posted on Facebook on Saturday.

"Well, we can add 'washing fish off of the interstate' to the long list of interesting things firefighters get to experience!" it said.

Comment:

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Fish

Hundreds of thousands of dead clams wash up on Revere Beach, Massachusetts


US News
Sat, 22 Sep 2018 16:57 UTC
Mass die-off of clams fouls Revere Beach
Mass die-off of clams fouls Revere Beach
Massachusetts environmental officials are investigating a large clam die-off.

The Boston Globe reports hundreds of thousands of Atlantic surf clams have washed up on Revere Beach this week. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation says the die-off is the third event of its kind this summer.

The Division of Marine Fisheries will analyze the clams in an attempt to determine the cause of the mass shellfish kill.

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay spokesman Bruce Berman believes shellfish die-off have increased as a result of climate change.

Berman says a certain type of algae that clogs the gills of clams could also be responsible for the kills.

Thousands of menhaden washed up in Mystic River in July. Multiple dead whales have also drifted onto New England shores this month.

Source: AP
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Attention

Dead humpback whale found on Asir beach in Saudi Arabia


Arab News
Tue, 18 Sep 2018 17:13 UTC
The carcass of a Humpback whale washed up on Al-Qahmah beach in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia’s southwest.
The carcass of a Humpback whale washed up on Al-Qahmah beach in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia’s southwest.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture discovered the body of a humpback whale on the shore of Al-Qahmah Center Beach in Asir last Saturday.

The Director of the Fisheries Branch in Al-Qahmah, Ali Hamdi, said: "Immediately after we received a notification from the border guards about spotting a dead marine animal at the Al-Qahmah Center, five km away from the fishermen's shore inside the sea, our field teams were dispersed to explore the spot and what sort of animal it was, as well as the cause of its death."

He added: "We detected the species was a humpback whale, one of the largest marine organisms in the oceans, with its adults ranging in length from 12 to 16m and a circumference of between 4 and 6m. This specific whale is of the baleen species and can often be found in the Red Sea.
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Minke whale removal turns into public spectacle after carcass washes up on Rye beach in New Hampshire

Jason Schreiber
Union Leader
Mon, 17 Sep 2018 17:25 UTC
A front end loader attempts to place a two-ton minke whale into a Dumpster that proved too small for the job. A larger Dumpster was eventually brought in to transport the marine mammal.
© Jason SchreiberA front end loader attempts to place a two-ton minke whale into a Dumpster that proved too small for the job. A larger Dumpster was eventually brought in to transport the marine mammal.
A dead minke whale became a sad spectacle after it washed up on Jenness State Beach Monday morning and later was dropped onto the ground as crews attempted to move the mammal to a facility where a necropsy can be done to determine its cause of death.


The two-ton male juvenile whale ended up ashore after its body was spotted Sunday just off the coast between Rye and the Isles of Shoals; it was reported to be entangled in fishing gear. 


"We had a feeling it was going to wash in. It was just a matter of when and where because the winds were favorable for that," said Ashley Stokes, manager of the Seacoast Science Center's Marine Mammal Rescue Team.

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Mother and calf dolphins die in 'biggest' stranding in 10 years for Cornwall, UK


ITV
Mon, 17 Sep 2018 18:07 UTC
The stranding of 11 dolphins was the biggest in Cornwall in 10 years.
© British Divers Marine Life RescueThe stranding of 11 dolphins was the biggest in Cornwall in 10 years.
Two female dolphins and a calf have died after they became stranded on a Cornwall beach.

The mammals were part of a pod of 11 common dolphins who became stuck on Godrevy beach at the end of St Ives bay - the biggest in Cornwall for 10 years.

Two visitors spotted them around 7am on Monday morning, 17 September.
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