10 Million Scallops Dead Off Vancouver and 21,000 Dead Birds In France! Are they connected you decide?!!

A mass die-off of scallops near Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island is being linked to the increasingly acidic waters that are threatening marine life and aquatic industries along the West Coast.

Rob Saunders, CEO of Island Scallops, estimates his company has lost three years worth of scallops and $10 million dollars — forcing him to lay off approximately one-third of his staff.

“I’m not sure we are going to stay alive and I’m not sure the oyster industry is going to stay alive,” Saunders told The Parksville Qualicum Beach NEWS. “It’s that dramatic.”

Saunders guesses that he lost 95 percent of his scallop crop as of July. And Island Scallops isn’t alone. “Cape Mudge lost 2.5 million animals and some other small growers lost 300,000,” Saunders said.

“It’s a phenomena that’s happening worldwide,” Island Scallops’ Rob Saunders told the NEWS. “There’s very little hope for us.”

21,000 Birds Killed In France By Winter Storms

Violent storms that have battered France and other parts of Europe this winter are to blame for the deaths of thousands of birds, according to French society for the protection of birds.

A total of 21,341 dead birds were found in western France by 500 volunteers working on three weekends, the French League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) said in a statement Wednesday.

France has not seen a bird "slaughter" this large since 1900, the Agence France-Presse reports.

The worst-affected species were the Atlantic puffin, the common murre and the razor-billed auk, LPO said.

Nearly 2,800 injured birds were taken to rescue centers, the league said.