• Ocean

Extreme Heat Provokes Mass Marine Life Die-Off

• bivalves
• extreme heat
• heatwave
• mussels

by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer The one-two punch of heat and drought in the Western United States and Canada isn’t just affecting people— it’s also cooking marine wildlife across the Pacific Northwest. After two weeks, climate-fueled extreme heat has killed an estimated 1 billion marine animals and threatens freshwater life as well, according to […]

• Animals

Invasive Zebra Mussels Hitch a Ride on Aquarium Moss Balls

• invasive species
• mussels

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Federal officials have found zebra mussels catching a ride on aquarium décor sold across the U.S. Pet stores in 21 states have now recalled moss balls sold as aquarium accessories due to the presence of the invasive species. Zebra mussels, native to Eurasia, were introduced to U.S. waters in the 1980s and have been wreaking […]

• Ocean

Freshwater Mussels Face Potential Pandemic of Their Own

• COVID-19
• disease
• ecosystem
• mussels
• pandemic
• wildlife

While humans face COVID-19, freshwater mussels could be facing a pandemic of their own. Researchers have found a novel densovirus, dubbed “Mussel-bola,” that may be responsible for killing 80,000 mussels in a 650 foot stretch of the Clinch River in Virginia over only 2 years.

Why This Matters: Mussels serve as a proverbial canary in the coalmine for freshwater ecosystems.

• Ocean

Ocean News to Note This 4th of July Holiday

• beaches
• bivalves
• California
• Cape Cod
• jellyfish
• mussels
• oceans
• sharks
• South Carolina

As Weather.com reported, unusually warm temperatures combined with seasonal low tides have literally roasted California mussels in their shells in a mass die-off that could have larger implications on the local marine ecosystem. At the same time, this July 4th weekend a record number of sharks have been spotted off the coast of Cape Cod […]