PLANET IN PERIL

Eco Watch Adult sockeye salmon.  Marvina Munch, U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Service For as long as people have lived in the area, salmon have been an important food source. But something is happening to Pacific coast salmon. Story here. RELATED: " Disastrous Fraser River salmon run eclipses 2009 collapse -  Warmer waters, overfishing, fish farm impacts all likely contributed to this year's dismal returns: environmental group"

Manitoba Co-Operator PinP photo. The fear is the new company’s market power will result in higher seed prices and less innovation unless regulators order some divestiture of assets. STORY HERE.

Scientific American A confined animal feeding operation. "Unnecessary or incorrect antibiotic use in...agricultural production has worsened the problem."  USGS photo. Several times a week Brad Spellberg struggles with a difficult decision. A patient stumbles into his emergency room in southern California suffering from familiar symptoms: pressure when she urinates, pain in her side, fever and nausea. Based on these clues Spellberg can quickly diagnose the problem as a kidney infection, but the trouble lies in deciding what he should do next. He knows the patient is hurting and of course he wants to help, but more than his patient’s health hangs in the balance. Story here.

CommonDreams   Indonesian forests being burned for agriculture. NASA satellite image. Illegal fires used to deforest land for palm oil and pulpwood plantations are raging again today.  Story here.

inside climate news Baton Rouge in Aug. USDA photo Fast study showed climate change's influence on Louisiana's devastating floods. The method is being used to more quickly assess some types of extreme weather. Story here.