more than quadrupling numbers from just two years ago.
June 15, 2014 - The most recent Australian wheat harvest soared to a record 25 million tons, up 119% from 2013.
June 17, 2014 – Another banner year for the Sundarbans River Terrapin
June 20, 2014 – Colorado’s big game herds are certainly benefiting from the lush vegetation as well. We are already seeing a banner year for antler growth in bull elk and mule deer bucks. Last year at this time, grass around our base camp was already beginning to brown. This year, the grass in camp is more than eight inches tall. With the peaks still white and plenty of snow yet to melt, elk cows and calves will have excellent grazing conditions. Our herds should go into this fall in great shape.
June 21, 2014 – The number of great white sharks off the U.S. Atlantic Coast appears to have increased since the early 1990s. The findings suggested an “optimistic outlook” for the recovery of the species, which is an apex predator and one of the largest fish in the oceans. In a separate paper also published in PLOS ONE this month, researchers found the great white shark population is likely growing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The group, led by George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, pegged the entire population of white sharks along the California coast at more than 2,000 and likely rising. The study’s authors challenged the conclusions of a 2011 Stanford University study that found alarming low numbers of the predators off the central California coast.
June 22, 2014 – Lake of the Woods, Minnesota – “The numbers of slot fish that we are catching is unbelievable.”
June 25, 2014 – Another banner year for Copperheads.
June 27, 2014 – Rare bumblebee rebounding? Sightings create a hopeful buzz
June 28, 2014 - Sockeye run at halfway point double 10-year average, over 20,000 a day crossing Bonneville Dam.
June 29, 2012 – There are so many Spanish Mackerel on the Atlantic Coast between Fort Pierce and Palm Beach that commercial cast-netters are able to catch them by the tons. Mackerel have increased in size as well as number. Twenty years ago, a 5-pound Spanish was a rarity. Today tons of fish reach that size and larger. It takes a 7-pounder to turn any heads, and a 7-pound Spanish is every bit a match for a king mackerel of similar size.
June 30, 2014 – Scallops rebounding in Panhandle’s St. Joseph Bay
July 1, 2014 - “At Black Butte Lake, the water level is high, and they’re catching a lot of catfish out there, and bass is doing well,” “They’ve been catching a lot of stripers and trout, and one guy I talked to just caught a 33-pound salmon he had to let go.”
July 4, 2014 – Visitors to Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at Cley Marshes have been treated to a spectacular sight today: 30 spoonbills, a new record for the site. “What a remarkable sight! We have never seen anything like it.”
July 4, 2014 – The wildlife population in Tibet has risen significantly during the last two decades. The number of snub-nosed monkeys has increased to more than 700 from about 50 in the 1990s.
July 4, 2014 – Phenomenal year for walleye fishing
July 4, 2014 – (Gulf of Mexico) Trout fishing has been excellent,” he said. “Last year was a pretty phenomenal year."
July 4, 2014 – This year’s cool weather and relatively frequent rains have created a banner year for wildflowers.
July 8, 2014 – Massive school of anchovies swarms off La Jolla. A massive school of Northern anchovies could be seen migrating off the coast of La Jolla on Tuesday afternoon, baffling scientists who said they haven’t seen anything like it in more than 30 years. He said scientists didn’t have an estimate on how many fish were in the school.
July 8, 2014 – In the last five years, the number of observed osprey – fish-eating birds of prey – in the Cayuga Lake basin in New York have increased sevenfold. Ten years ago, osprey nests did not exist around Ithaca, and five years ago, there were only six known active local nests. This year, Cornell and others have identified at least 38 active breeding nests.
July 9, 2014 - Oyster farming is thriving in Rhode Island
July 9, 2014 – Despite an ongoing drought, the California Almond Board recently announced an all-time record almond objective crop forecast for the 2014-15 season.
July 9, 2014 – Delaware’s 2014 spring turkey season, which ended May 10, has set a new state harvest record of 687 birds.
July 13, 2014 - “2014 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations,” showed an 8 percent increase over the 2013 survey results, and 43 percent higher than the 1955-2013 average. This continues a three-year trend of exceptional population numbers for many species, due in large part to favorable water conditions in breeding areas.
July 14, 2014 – Bristol, England - It is mid July, and Bristol Bay is still having million fish days. Last week, 5 of the last six days saw more than 1 million fish being landed. This year the run is having an extraordinary long tail - compared to the past three years - and as a result, run totals, and harvest totals, keep climbing.
July 15, 2014 – Contrary to alarmist claims, the penguin population is thriving
July 15, 2015 - Salish Sea, Washington/British Columbia - One marine mammal after another is making a dramatic comeback. Steller sea lions are thriving - new estimates peg their population at 48,000 animals in winter. Harbour seals today total an estimated 105,000 animals, one of the densest such populations on earth, compared with fewer than 15,000 in the late 1960s. Humpback whales are now found year-round on our coast, while a genetically distinct population of grey whales with unique feeding habits makes regular forays off Vancouver. For the first time in memory, fin whales — the second largest animal on earth, after the blue whale — have been spotted near the north end of the Strait of Georgia past Campbell River . Hundreds of white-sided dolphins now call the strait home. The car-sized northern elephant seal — once reduced to fewer than 100 individuals — now numbers up to 200,000 from Mexico to Alaska. The dramatic return of so many marine mammals at the top of the food chain also suggests good productivity at the bottom, for predators cannot thrive without the fish and smaller creatures upon which they prey.
July 18, 2014 - By all accounts, standards, and points of view, 2014 was a banner year for sport fishing enthusiasts in Costa Rica. The release counts from the country’s various billfish tournaments were staggering. The three day (Sailfishing tournament) total was 2,171 billfish released (2,160 sailfish, 11 marlin), which annihilated the previous record set in January 2013 of 1,412 billfish. That is an average of 17+ billfish per day/per boat for the 42 boats!
July 20, 2014 – More than 50 sperm whales emerged off the Southern California coast in an extremely rare, hours-long sighting that had whale watchers and scientists giddy with excitement. It’s by far the largest group ever spotted so near to shore in Southern California. " I’ve been counting whales and been on the water for 35 years. We’ve never had a large group like this ever,"
July 21, 2014 – Governor: Oyster harvest reached record numbers in 2013
July 21, 2014 – Gray seals rebounding - Texarkana Gazette
July 21, 2014 – Skagerrak prawn stocks on the rebound - a surge in offspring in 2013 gives hope that numbers will continue to rise in years to come.
July 22, 2014 – Recent milder and wetter weather has helped show an increase in native birds, especially quail. Other birds that have not been visible in a number of years are now being seen or heard including road runners, whipper wills, meadow larks and some species of toads, frogs and lizards. There has also been an increase in toads, lizards and song birds. Wild turkeys are also on the rebound, with more being spotted than in past years.
July 22, 2014 – Loon population rebounding in Vermont
July 23, 2014 – The Natterjack toad, the most threatened of only three native amphibian species to occur in Ireland, is making a comeback in its traditional strongholds on the Kerry coast. 2014 was a “bumper year” for the rare amphibian. “a huge abundance” of young toadlets emerged from breeding ponds on the Dingle and Iveragh peninsulas in late June and early July.
July 24, 2014 – The 2014 sockeye run in the Columbia River is the largest since fish-counting began at the dam in 1938.
July 24, 2014 –Wisconsin cranberry farmers increased production by 25 percent last year to harvest a record 6 million barrels.
July 24, 2014 –Daytona Beach, FL - The local fishing community has gone completely bonkers over the red snapper season. “Man, they are all over the place,”
July 24, 2014 – Atlantic sturgeon are spawning again in the Chesapeake Bay. In 1997, Dave Secor, like almost everyone else, believed that Atlantic sturgeon, a species that has survived since the age of the dinosaurs, had been long gone from the Chesapeake Bay. But that year a small number of juvenile sturgeon turned up, and they were too small to have immigrated from elsewhere. “That was a major surprise,” Secor said.
July 25, 2014 – Squid industry having a ‘banner year’ in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties
July 28, 2014 – Banner year for gray whale calves
July 31, 2013 – Florida panther rebound upsets ranchers
July 28, 2014 – Mediterranean Anchovies Thriving
July 29, 2014 - during Florida’s 2013 Lobster mini-season, he and four other men gathered 60 lobsters in about an hour. “Last year was an absolutely phenomenal year.”
July 30, 2013 – Fish numbers are in and they are amazing. The real bonus this summer has been the presence of Coho Salmon for the first time in 20 years and the creel survey tells the story. The running five-year average of retained hatchery origin Coho for Area 13 in June is 86 fish – in 2013 the assessed total is 5,186! In addition over 17,000 wild coho were released, compared to the previous five-year average of 263, an astonishing change. “ I’ve caught twice as many halibut in Campbell River this year compared to all the previous years combined that I’ve fished here.”
August 2, 2014 – Lobster no longer a splash-out as record harvests crack high prices
August 3, 2014 – Ohio mountain lion sighting could signal a comeback. Sightings have increased in Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin in recent years. The Web-based Cougar Network confirms at least one lion sighting in southern Indiana.
August 6, 2014 – (Southern California) We have been catching our yellowtail on sardines and the iron (lures),” said Captain John Woodrum. “ This is one of the best summers we have had in years, maybe a decade.” Don Ashley agrees “This is and has been the best fishing we have seen in 10-15 years , and I don’t think it’s over by a longshot,” he said.
August 6, 2014 – Big season ahead for thriving waterfowl
August 7, 2014 - The Drymonema dalmatinum, which can grow to more than three feet in diameter, was photographed by amateur divers off the northern coast of Italy. It is one of the rarest jellyfish to occur in the Mediterranean and had not been documented in the Adriatic since 1945.
August 9, 2014 – Oregon winemakers eyeing record-setting 2014 grape harvest. Ideal early season conditions spawned so many clusters that vineyard managers are madly "green pruning" – dropping up to one-third of their grapes – to ensure that the bountiful remains have a chance to ripen.
August 9, 2014 – The 18 states that grow 91 percent of the country’s corn have experienced nearly ideal conditions this year, as adequate rain fell when plants emerged and cooler-than-usual summer weather minimized heat stress.
August 11, 2014 – Humpback whales and great white sharks are surging in numbers in the waters around New York City this summer, in a wildlife bonanza that is delighting naturalists, environmentalists and fishermen – if not necessarily bathers. Off New York and New Jersey, some of the largest creatures in the ocean are being spotted in greater abundance than has been the case for decades. Cleaner waters have encouraged huge rises in the populations of fish which the whales eat. Giant humpback whales can be seen feeding about four miles from the Statue of Liberty.
August 10, 2014 – Surprising bounty of shellfish in South Florida . As for lobster, “We limited,” free diver Tamray Kam said Thursday after a half-day hunting trip off Hollywood Beach. “I’ve never seen this many big ones.”
August 10, 2014 – Del. Bay Horseshoe Crab Population Rebounding
August 12, 2014 – A trip to an area of the British Columbia coast that was said to be devastated by the effects of salmon farming (revealed) salmon jumping everywhere. We encountered hundreds, if not thousands of Pacific white-sided dolphins , a half-dozen or so killer whales, about the same number of humpback whales, numerous seals, porpoises and eagles.
August 12, 2014 - The Washington apple industry is expecting a record harvest, an 8 percent increase over the record crop in 2012.
August 13, 2014 - Burrowing Owls Rebounding in San José
August 14, 2014 –The Southeastern Alaska summer commercial Dungeness crab season was the largest since 2002 and is a 142% increase from the 2013 summer season catch.
August 15, 2014 - Corn and soybean farmers in Kansas and throughout the Midwest are expecting a record harvest this year. They could bring in even more than last year’s bumper crop.
August 17, 2014 – TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The cool summer temperatures and scattered showers may not be ideal for being outdoors, but local farmers are rejoicing. Ernie Biltz’s booth at the Farmers Market in downtown Terre Haute is overflowing with ripe tomatoes, delicious apples, and fresh ears of corn. The colder than average summer weather is making for a record-breaking year.
August 20, 2014 – The summertime snapper blue fishing in New Jersey has been outstanding this year. Huge numbers of snapper blues have infiltrated the bay and surf in Ocean County. This past weekend, I watched and photographed a massive school of 10-inch snapper blues that passed through Island Beach State Park. The school was over a mile long and took about an hour to pass as it made its way south.
August 20, 2014 – Alaska - “It’s just been a really good year—a good year for all the species of fish.” “This year has just been phenomenal… the old record is 10,100 fish, this year we’re on pace to shatter that.”
August 21, 2014 – New Zealand wine exports at record high after bumper grape harvest
August 24, 2014 - Michigan’s apple crop should be among its best ever, according to a new report.
August 25, 2014 – VIMS reports record number of young scallops in mid-Atlantic. Recent surveys reveal an unprecedented number of young scallops in 2 fishery management areas off the mid-Atlantic coast.
August 26, 2014 – South Dakota pheasant numbers rebound 76 percent compared to last year. "We have a really good distribution of birds across the pheasant range in the eastern half of the state,"
August 29, 2014 –South Beach, FL - Tuna good to gangbusters
August 29, 2014 – A big trip yesterday afternoon. Too many bluefish! The anglers were throwing them back the last 90 minutes of the trip because they had more than enough. Big ones too!
Sept. 1, 2014 - Some parts of Michigan have record numbers of young goslings this spring. Mild weather highlighted by periodic rain has grasses green and geese are finding unlimited food sources close to area lakes, ponds, marshes, pot holes and farm ponds.
Sept. 5, 2014 – Iowa - The pheasant population is rebounding. The annual count of the birds completed last month showed the highest numbers since 2008. “I’ve been driving the roads and seeing so many birds I just about had to go into the ditch to avoid them.”
September 8, 2014 –There are as many blue whales living off the coast of California as there were before humans started hunting them to near extinction 110 years ago. The current population is 97 percent as large as it was before 1905.
September 8, 2014 –Salmon are surging up Sweden’s rivers in record numbers - Baltic salmon may be more numerous than any time since the Second World War.
September 11, 2014 - Prospects are bright for another excellent razor clam season. Razor clam diggers should prepare for another outstanding year. “Based on our assessments, the razor clam populations on some beaches exceed the near record levels found in 2013. We expect the 2014-15 season to be just as good – if not better than last year.” The end result was a 2013-14 season that had the highest total effort and harvest for the Washington recreational razor clam fishery since 1982.
September 12, 2014 – Chinook returns shatter last year’s record, the largest, single-day return since counting began with the construction of the dam in 1938.
Sept. 20, 2014 - The 2014 apple crop in Washington State is on track to be the largest in history.
September 28, 2014 –There are about 230,000 metric tons of spawning dogfish in the Gulf of Maine, a nearly five-fold increase from ten years ago.
September, 29, 2014 – Scotland - “This year we have had numerous reports of water voles - among the country’s rarest animals - returning to areas where they haven’t been seen for over 30 years.”
September 28, 2014 – Portland, ME. Federal regulators say the fishes (Dogfish) are actually growing in abundance. James Armstrong, who manages the species for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, said they are estimated to exceed their target level by 33 percent. And James Sulikowski, a biologist with the University of New England who studies the species, said there are about 230,000 metric tons of spawning dogfish in the Gulf of Maine, a nearly five-fold increase from ten years ago.
Oct. 5, 2014 - Officials in Washington counted a record high 67 western snowy plovers in their last count in January. Researchers found 28 nests on the Long Beach Peninsula this year compared to 10 last year.
October 17, 2014 - Coho counts on the lower Snake River are nearly eight times the 10-year average for that date (1,997) and more than triple the previous annual record count of 5,060 set in 2011.
October 20, 2014 - Volunteers counted a record 78,970 geese at the Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve last week. The previous record, set in 2010, saw 65,060 geese arrive at the Angus reserve.
October 30, 2014 - Thanks to unusually wet weather and ideal nesting conditions across the Continental United States and Canada, duck populations have soared to the highest numbers in nearly 60 years.
