Animals
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Fish

Discarded shrimp and fish from city's sewers served to unwary customers in China

Karen Graham
Digital Journal
Mon, 04 Jul 2016 23:59 UTC
Sewer Fish and Shrimps
© TwitterAfter rinsing the rescued shrimp and fish, vendors prepare their shrimp balls on the grimy floor of the public bathroom.
Internet users were horrified to find photographic evidence that showed seafood vendors in Wuhan, China scavenging discarded shrimp and fish from the city's sewers to serve to unsuspecting customers.

According to Shanghai List, it is not uncommon for shrimp and fish waste to show up in the City's sewers. Seafood brought into the markets of Baishazhou in Wuhan frequently end up falling in the sewers during the packaging process.

It can be assumed that once the fish and shrimp fall into the sewers, that should be the last anyone sees of them, but not in Wuhan. Apparently some vendors "rescue" the seafood and after rinsing it off in the public bathrooms, sell the seafood to unwary customers.

The vendors mix the "rescued" seafood with other fish and shrimp to be made into "shrimp balls." This way, the unhygienic origins of the rescued seafood won't be noticed. It makes one wonder what the shrimp and fish had on them before they were rinsed off in the toilets.
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Fish

Mass fish die-offs in Canadian river has scientists puzzled

Karen Graham
Digital Journal
Mon, 04 Jul 2016 18:46 UTC
Dead Fish in the Yamaska River
© TwitterTens of thousands of fish are dead in the Yamaska River.
Wildlife officials in Quebec don't have a good answer for why tens of thousands of fish in the Yamaska River, near Saint-Hyacinthe, are dead. The fish kill was first noticed on Thursday, but many of the fish had been dead for several days.

The fish kill has not been selective, as wildlife officials say the dead fish include minnows to large fish, up to 15 to 20 centimeters (6 to 8 inches) in length.

Christian Blanchette, the regional coordinator for Urgence Environment told CTV News that biologists and scientists came to the river on Thursday and Friday, trying to discover the cause of the fish kill. He said they were looking into several possible causes, including spills, sewage and construction waste.

According to Blanchette, some fish were found at the bottom of the river in an advanced state of decay, indicating the die-off had been going on for a number of days. Two wildlife officials collected a number of the fish on Friday morning for further study.
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Black Cat

Hiker attack by mountain lion reported near Waynesboro, Virginia

Channing Frampton
wric.com
Sun, 03 Jul 2016 18:05 UTC
Mountain Lion
Mountain Lion
According to 8News affiliate WHSV, a mountain lion attack was reported along the Appalachian Trail in Southwest Virginia Friday.

The attack occurred near Humpback Rock in Augusta County, south of Waynesboro, Friday afternoon, according to Augusta County Emergency Communications.

A 911 operator told WHSV that the Blue Ridge Parkway Police called in the request for help from the picnic area of Humpback Rock. The station said they were still waiting to hear back from the police department about what happened.

The attack occurred along the Appalachian Trail about 30 minutes from Humpback Rock. The man involved in the attack is being treated and is in stable condition.
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Attention

Dead whale found in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts


The Martha's Vineyard Times
Mon, 04 Jul 2016 17:50 UTC
A dead, badly decomposed whale washed up on South Beach in Edgartown Monday putting a damper on swimming at the popular Martha’s Vineyard beach on a bright, sunny Fourth of July.
© Adam DarackA dead, badly decomposed whale washed up on South Beach in Edgartown Monday putting a damper on swimming at the popular Martha’s Vineyard beach on a bright, sunny Fourth of July.
On a perfect Martha's Vineyard beach day Edgartown officials reported that a dead, badly decomposed whale has washed up on South Beach in the area commonly referred to as "left fork," just to the west of the Norton Point Beach entrance. The area would normally attract large crowds of beach-goers and swimmers.

Adam Darack, Edgartown public information officer, sent out a text message at approximately 8:30 am, Monday cautioning beachgoers to swim at their "own risk." Dead whales have the potential to attract sharks, Mr. Darack said.

There have been no reports of sharks sighted in the vicinity. The species of whale was not identified. Mr. Darack said it was badly decomposed.
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Attention

Dead fin whale found near Opunake, New Zealand

Jeremy Wilkinson
stuff.co.nz
Mon, 04 Jul 2016 13:20 UTC
Fin whales are second only in size to the blue whale and can grow up to 24 metres in length.
© Callum Lilley
The location of a 17-metre-long dead fin whale washed ashore in South Taranaki is being closely guarded to prevent poachers harvesting its bones.

First spotted on Friday morning near Opunake, the whale is now in an advanced state of decay and the Department of Conservation is warning beach goers to steer clear.

Though it's not saying where to steer clear from.

Whale bone is sacred to Maori and whale carcasses become the property of DOC once washed ashore, however whale bones are often gifted to local iwi.

DOC senior biodiversity ranger Callum Lilley said DOC had been in contact with Ngati Kahumate and Taranaki iwi but the sub-adult fin whale was currently a health hazard to be near.
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Attention

Shark encounters, sightings of other marine animals along California coast at highest level in decades


Phys.org
Sat, 02 Jul 2016 20:37 UTC
pacific coast beach
Experts say the El Nino weather pattern has led to unusually warm waters in the eastern Pacific, meaning sharks and other species are not migrating and moving closer to shore
Shark encounters and sightings along California's coast are at their highest level in decades, scientists say, warning that warmer waters mean beachgoers will have to be on the lookout for the predators all summer.

The latest near-deadly encounter came in late May when a 52-year-old woman was mauled by a shark near Los Angeles, prompting beach closures for several days.

Chris Lowe, director of California State University's Long Beach Shark Lab, said there have been more sightings of great white sharks this year than in the previous 30, and that even hammerheads have been spotted along the coast.

He said the El Nino weather pattern of the last two years has led to unusually warm waters in the eastern Pacific, meaning the sharks and other species are not migrating—and are moving closer to shore.

"They are going to hang out near our beaches all summer," Lowe told AFP.

The high water temperatures are having an effect on other marine life as well, with whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions increasingly spotted off the coast.
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Question

What's killing hundreds of young gulls in Buffalo, New York?


wgrz.com
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 17:33 UTC
Young Ring-billed Gull
© Dorothy E. PughYoung ring-billed gull
While kayaking on the outer harbor, one of our Channel 2 employees recently found himself paddling through areas where the water's surface was literally covered with dead birds.

A marina proprietor also confirmed for Two on Your Side that in recent weeks, hundreds of dead birds have been washing up on the shore near Gallagher Beach and the Union Ship canal.

They are ring billed gulls, mostly juveniles or fledglings.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says it is aware of the bird kill, but has thus far determined it to be a natural occurrence.

According to a DEC spokesperson, Wildlife Biologists from the agency responded to observations and reports of dead birds along the Lake Erie Shoreline from Wilkerson Point to Union Ship Canal and investigated the entire length of the shoreline area.

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Cupcake Pink

Birthday surprise: Bear crashes through Alaskan family's skylight, eats the birthday cupcakes


Sputnik
Fri, 01 Jul 2016 00:00 UTC
bear crashes birthday party
Alicia Bishop holds the cupcakes that a bear licked the frosting off of in front of woodland-themed birthday party decor inside her Starr Hill home on Saturday.
Bear and cupcakes sounds like the most unusual combination ever, but not in Alaska! A young male black bear randomly crashed through the Alaskan family's skylight while a birthday party was going on.

The little boy named Jackson, was hardly expecting such a surprise visit. When the bear fell into the party they both stared at each other 'in disbelief', while people raced out of the room.

Jackson's grandparents grabbed him and raced upstairs. However, the bear didn't run or attack anyone because the big guy was actually more interested in the birthday cupcakes!

He stayed in the room for some time to eat the family's lemon, blueberry and peanut butter cupcakes. When the home owners finally got the bear out, he casually strolled out of the house.
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Attention

An 'unprecedented' number of whales appear off San Francisco, California

John Metcalfe
CityLab
Fri, 01 Jul 2016 15:39 UTC
Gray whale near the Golden Gate Bridge
© Chris GallelloGray whale near the Golden Gate Bridge
The waters off San Francisco must be echoing with a glorious chorale of weee-oooos and uuuuurrrghhs. Spotters have reported a record number of gray, humpback, and massive blue whales in the region, making whale-watching as easy as strolling onto the Golden Gate Bridge.
Spotted some gray whales while I was on the GG Bridge! First time I brought my camera too, super lucky. pic.twitter.com/ePIMn5DsOy

— Chris Gallello (@cgallello) May 11, 2016
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Attention

2 dead whales found on opposite coasts of Newfoundland, Canada

Lindsay Bird
cbc.ca
Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:57 UTC
Hiker Fern Burke came across this carcass while hiking near Tors Cove. DFO has identified it as a minke whale.
© Fern BurkeHiker Fern Burke came across this carcass while hiking near Tors Cove. DFO has identified it as a minke whale.
The decomposing carcasses of two different whales are creating a stir and a stink on opposite shorelines of Newfoundland, on the Avalon and Northern peninsulas.

Fern Burke was out for a hike on the East Coast Trail Wednesday evening between Tors Cove and Mobile when she came across one of the dead whales, at Kearney's Beach.

"It's pretty amazing, and then it's kind of sad, because you're wondering, what happened? Was it struck by a ship? Did something kill it?" Burke told CBC News, adding she only got as close to it as odour would allow.

"Oh yeah, there's a stench! Not so much say if the wind is off the land, but yesterday evening it wasn't, it was coming into the beach so it's quite strong — nasty."

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed the Tors Cove carcass is of a long-dead minke whale.
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