Animals
S


Question

Mass seabird deaths on the shores of Humboldt Reserve, Chile


thecelestialconvergence.blogspot.co.uk
Sat, 17 May 2014 09:25 UTC
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Less than a month after the death of hundreds of guanay cormorants , there was another
mass stranding of dead birds by inappropriate fishing practices.
"On 15 April this year, inform the community about the massive death and stranding hundreds of guanay Cormorant on the coast of Playa Grande Los Choros, in the Commune of La Higuera, product incompatible with conservation fishing practices marine birds. Today, again we face the same event and we must account for the death of many birds like cormorants and guanay yeko, occurred on Saturday, May 10, less than a month after the alleged killing of guanay cormorants. We insist on our challenge to the Chilean Navy and in particular the Maritime Governor of the Region of Coquimbo, his duty to protect the Marine Reserve Isla Choros - Ladies, overseeing the fishing activities in the vicinity follow a strict compliance with the legislation. Ensuring the conservation of protected areas is fulfilled in the protection of biodiversity that inhabits and justifies and determines its protected area. It comes down to territoriality, but its multiple habitats, and enriches particularized reason these areas. The Environmental Defense Movement ( MODEMA ) calls to institutions to not be separated from their responsibility to the death of these animals. In less than a month, the biotic balance of Humboldt Penguin National Reserve and Marine Reserve Isla Choros - Damas has been affected by the massive death of two of its rich bird species.
[Translated]

Source: eldinamo.cl
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Wolf

Hyena kills four people in Tana River, Kenya

Tracie Ominde
The Star (Kenya)
Tue, 20 May 2014 18:59 UTC
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Four people have been killed and four others injured after a hyena attack in Tana River County. St John's Ambulance said the villagers were attacked during the night while they slept at Kalalani area in Tana River.

A child and a disabled man are among the four injured. They have since been evacuated to Hola General Hospital by St John Ambulance and KWS rescuers.

KWS officials are searching for the animal that have left villagers in fear of the possibility of another attack.
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Fish

Thousands of dead fish mysteriously wash up in waters off Marina Del Rey, California

Tracy Bloom
ktla.com
Mon, 19 May 2014 10:02 UTC
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© Credit: KTLAThousands of dead fish blanketed the waters off Marina Del Rey on May 18, 2014.
Clean up efforts were considered over, but thousands of small dead fish remained in the waters off of Marina del Rey on Monday morning, two days after they were first discovered.

Scores of dead fish, believed to be mostly anchovies, began washing up in a corner of the marina near Bora Bora Way on Saturday night, creating a foul-smelling, silvery blanket on top of the water.

"It's horrible. There's like a million dead anchovies floating around, as well as other fish," said Lisa Lascody, a resident of the area. "It's creepy and weird."

Crews spent Sunday cleaning up, and although carcasses continued to litter the water on Monday, a supervisor with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors said clean up efforts were over.

The supervisor estimated that about 3,000 to 4,000 fish carcasses were removed from the harbor.
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Question

Deep sea dwelling melon headed whale rescued near Brunswick Heads, Australia


The Northern Star
Sun, 18 May 2014 10:05 UTC
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© Scott Rolph/Early Bird PhotographyA melon headed whale beached itself at Brunswick Heads.
Police and National Parks and Wildlife rangers attended the rescue of a melon headed whale on the beach south of Brunswick Heads yesterday morning.

The rare coastal whale, more akin to a large dolphin, was found about 5.30am, 5km south of Brunswick Heads and was released back into deep water by local police.

However, the marine mammal returned to shore soon after and beached itself again.

A team of carers from National Parks and Wildlife, Ballina Seabird Rescue and Orrca Inc helped Seaworld veterinarians prepare the whale for transport in a special trailer to the Gold Coast aquarium.

There the animal will undergo blood tests and treatment before being released back into the wild.

Ballina Seabird Rescue spokesman Keith Williams, alias Capt Turtle, explained that the whale's sickness was not unlike Parvovirus in dogs.

He said the whale would not end up as an amusement for Seaworld visitors.

Comment: For more unusual occurrences of this kind over the past month, involving normally deep sea dwelling creatures, see also: Bizarre fish caught off Pensacola pier, Florida

Strange deep sea fish caught at Pamban, India

Rare Sturgeon washes up along Connecticut River

Rare, mysterious deep sea fish washes ashore along North Carolina coast

Monster jellyfish spotted on beaches of South West Wales

Rare, deep-water megamouth shark caught off the coast of Japan

Scientists puzzled by odd creature found on South African beach

Something stirring down below? Rare deep water goblin shark caught off Key West, Florida

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Question

Bizarre fish caught off Pensacola pier, Florida


WFLA.com
Sat, 17 May 2014 09:38 UTC
Bizarre Fish
© FWC Facebook page
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials are working to identify a very unusual fish.

The specimen was caught off a pier in Pensacola, and as of Friday, was on its way to the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

The fish has a long smooth tail with no fins, and looks almost prehistoric.

Researchers will confirm the ID of the species, and take a tissue sample for DNA analysis.

Comment: Just some of the bizarre and deep water creatures turning up on beaches around the world!

Strange deep sea fish caught at Pamban, India

Rare Sturgeon washes up along Connecticut River

Rare, mysterious deep sea fish washes ashore along North Carolina coast

Monster jellyfish spotted on beaches of South West Wales

Rare, deep-water megamouth shark caught off the coast of Japan
Scientists puzzled by odd creature found on South African beach

Something stirring down below? Rare deep water goblin shark caught off Key West, Florida

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Fish

Strange deep sea fish caught at Pamban, India

D. J. Walter Scott
The Hindu
Sun, 04 May 2014 14:36 UTC
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© L. Balachandar A fisherman holding one of the rare fish at Pamban
A day after catching deep sea lobsters, considered a 'prize catch,' country boat fishermen have caught rare fish, believed to be fully grown 'Rhinochimaera,' a deep sea fish.

Fishermen, who ventured into the south sea for fishing in a motorised 'vallam' (country boat) on Friday morning and returned on Saturday morning, caught the fish while fishing about 40 nautical miles south of Pamban.

I. Litisan, who owned the 'vallam,' said the fishermen had gone to the deep sea looking for a better catch when they caught the rare fish. Each fish weighed about six to seven kg. As the fish were not consumed, they were cut into pieces for drying, he said.

Sources in the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) said the fish belonged to the Rhinochimaera genus and Chimaera family. The exact species could be confirmed only after a detailed study, they said. These fish could have migrated from the deep sea, they added.

Mr. Litisan said fishermen in his boat also caught about 50 deep sea lobsters, totally weighing about five kg. They were sold at Rs. 1,000 a kg, he said.
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Fish

Rare Sturgeon washes up along Connecticut River

Joseph Wenzel IV and Kevin Hogan
wibw.com
Thu, 01 May 2014 11:59 UTC
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© Carleen Gerber
The rare nearly 7-foot-long Atlantic sturgeon that weighs about 100 pounds was found Saturday near Elys Ferry Road.

"It had been here a while, it started to decay...started to smell," said eyewitness Gary Weed.

This fish is labeled an endangered species by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

State experts are taking a closer look at the big discovery at the DEEP Marine headquarters in nearby Old Lyme.

"We had seen a few wash up in Long Island Sound the last couple of years, the same size or pretty close, but this is the largest we've seen in the river so far," said Tom Savoy, who is a DEEP fisheries biologist.

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Fish

Winterkill strikes Grand Lake near Duluth; thousands of fish found dead

Sam Cook
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Fri, 16 May 2014 08:35 UTC
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© Dan Wilfond/Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Dead fish of several species are washed up along the shore of Grand Lake on Monday. Thousands of fish in the lake north of Duluth were lost to winterkill, a condition in which dissolved oxygen levels are too low for fish to survive.
The fish began piling up along the western shore of Grand Lake near Duluth on Monday, not long after the ice had gone out. Pushed by a strong east wind, thousands of dead fish washed up in reed beds and the front yards of lakeshore residents.

Perhaps as many as 35,000 fish died, said Dan Wilfond, fisheries specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at French River, although he cautioned that that was a rough estimate.

The fish, victims of winterkill -- low oxygen levels -- included sunfish, crappies, walleyes, northern pike and largemouth bass, Wilfond said.

Grand Lake, a 1,600-acre lake between Saginaw and Twig, is popular with anglers.

"It was disheartening," Wilfond said. "It was a pretty severe kill."

Tim Goeman, DNR regional fisheries supervisor at Grand Rapids, said he was not aware of other lakes across northeastern Minnesota that have suffered winterkill.
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Fish

Rare, mysterious deep sea fish washes ashore along North Carolina coast

Joe Borlik and Scott Gustin
MyFox8.com
Fri, 16 May 2014 14:51 UTC
Lancetfish
© Leif Rasmussen via Daryl LawA Lancetfish was found Monday in Nags Head on a beach south of Jennette’s Pier.
Nags Head - A rarely seen deep sea fish washed up on the beaches of North Carolina on Monday evening.

A Lancetfish was found in Nags Head on a beach south of Jennette's Pier. It is an open ocean fish and rarely comes to shore.

Lancetfishes have large mouths and very sharp teeth. They grow up to 6.6 feet in length. Very little is known about their biology, though they are widely distributed in all oceans, except the polar seas.

Officials with Jennette's Pier say the rare fish was alive when it washed up on the shore.
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Bizarro Earth

Massive number of dead fishes in New Jersey river


CBS2 NewYork
Mon, 12 May 2014 22:50 UTC

New York - Possibly tens of thousands of fish have died in Belmar, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said. Footage from Chopper 2 showed thousands of dead fish in Shark River near the docks in Belmar on Monday. The DEP believes the fish kill is a result of natural causes, the remnants of a massive influx that came into the estuary overnight, CBS 2′s Lou Young reported.

"They were here last night. Biggest School I've ever seen," fishing boat captain George Stella said.

Initially, heavy rains were thought to be the cause of the massive kill.

Recent heavy rains were believed to have caused the water to churn, stirring up the sediment at the bottom of the river, the DEP told CBS 2. This could have caused algae to bloom after recent warm weather. The algae could have starved the water of oxygen, resulting in the death of the fish, the DEP said. However, that scenario now seems less likely as subsequent testing determined that oxygen levels in the water were normal, and no algae or chemicals were found.
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