"Our hunters have a vast knowledge on a healthy bird. They know what a healthy bird looks like. If a goose has the symptoms of avian flu … people shouldn't eat it," said George Diamond of Cree Public Health.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at an exhibition farm in Newfoundland, Canada. The OIE report identified the affected birds as “non-poultry including wild birds.” On the premises, there were 419 susceptible birds. Of those, 360 died and the remaining 59 were euthanized. A Canada goose died from avian influenza on in the Halifax area on February 2 (see related articles).

Scientists have narrowed down the top likely causes of more than 1,400 seal deaths across New England.

NOAA and NASA satellites measured an average sea-surface temperature of 68.93 degrees Fahrenheit in the Gulf of Maine on Aug. 8, only 0.05 degrees below the all-time record high of 68.98 set in 2012. It is the epicenter of the U.S. lobster fishing industry, an important feeding ground for rare North Atlantic right whales .

Preliminary results suggest that avian flu and/or phocine distemper virus may be contributing to the elevated seal strandings in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts since June 1, 2018.

Marine mammal experts are testing tissue samples for a potential common cause of the surge in carcasses found on the state's beaches this year.

A wildlife pathologist in Saskatoon says his lab is testing several skunks and fox kits showing neurological signs that could be caused by avian flu. The transmission to mammals is not a surprise to Bollinger, who said cases have been showing up in the United States. There are other viral diseases - such as distemper and rabies - that cause similar symptoms in these species.