Re: SC6

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/257515_deadbirds30.html

Scientists fear unusual weather behind massive seabird die-off

WEIRD WEATHER

With ocean temperatures warming to unusually high levels over the last three years, scientists noted a string of unusual happenings affecting marine life from northern California to Alaska.


Triangle Island: Nesting success plummeted for the Cassin's auklet, a seabird, in 2005.
Lake Washington and Ship Canal: About half the 2004 run of sockeye salmon -- some 200,000 fish -- failed to materialize. Scientists suspect overly warm water was the cause.
Whidbey Island: A Humboldt squid, normally found in Mexico and southern California, turned up on the beach on Jan. 2.
Protection Island: Last summer, glaucous-winged gulls that normally fledge about 8,000 chicks produced only 88.
Tatoosh Island: Breeding started late for common murres last spring. Only about one-fifth fledged chicks, compared to up to four-fifths in a good year.
Northwest Coast: Tens of thousands of common murres and Brandt's cormorants -- emaciated at a time of year they should be flush -- turned up dead on Oregon and Washington beaches in spring 2005.
Southern Washington to Alaska Panhandle: Numerous sightings of Humbolt squid, which normally lives off Southern California and farther south, in summer 2004.
Northwest coast: Gray whales migrating from Mexico to the Bering Sea had so exhausted their fat reserves that their bodies were misshapen as they passed by last spring.
Northwest coast: Scientists trawling for young salmon found counts extremely low in spring and fall 2005.
Northern California: Scientists trawling for young rock- fish found counts very low in 2005.
Farallon Islands: Auklets that abandoned their nests in unprecedented numbers. Where hundreds of chicks normally are produced, only a handful were in 2005. Lack of food is blamed.
Monterey, Calif.: Large number of seabirds found dead on beaches in spring 2005.