Cassin's auklets on beach (IMAGE) University of Washington Caption Cassin’s auklets are seen in April 2016. This was the first massive mortality event following the onset of the Northeast Pacific marine heatwave (“the blob”). Credit COSSST Usage Restrictions No restrictions. License Public Domain Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.