Poisoned marine mammals washing up on SoCal beaches

LOCAL NEWS Marine care centers in SoCal overwhelmed with sick sea lions, dolphins by: Josh DuBose, Chris Wolfe

Posted: Jun 25, 2023 / 06:58 PM PDT

Updated: Jun 25, 2023 / 10:23 PM PDT

Sickened sea animals are washing up along the coast of Southern California and experts are blaming an algal bloom for poisoning the marine mammals.

The Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, which is the only rehabilitation center for these types of animals in Los Angeles County, is filled to capacity and the situation, according to experts, only appears to be getting worse.

While some of the thousands of sea lions and elephant seals at care centers across the Southland are healthy and ready to be returned to the wild, many others are not and require special care, medication and treatment.

“We’re seeing a really large algal bloom off the coast of California, specifically Central and Southern California,” John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center, told KTLA. “It is a toxic algal bloom that causes domoic acid within our sea lion and dolphin populations, especially.”

Marine mammals poisoned by domoic acid can be prone to seizures, aggression, vomiting and foaming at the mouth. Nursing mothers can lose their milk, and according to wildlife experts, the condition can be fatal.

Care centers up and down the Golden State are working to care for the marine animals, but many of the facilities have limited resources and space.

“It is a naturally occurring algae in the environment,” Warner explained. “It is becoming more intense and larger in scope because of warmer ocean temperatures. We have the hottest temperature on record for the ocean at the moment. That’s a contributing factor which is caused by human impact.”

If the sick animals are captured and treated early enough, there is a very high success rate for rehabilitation and recovery and, ultimately, being able to return them to the wild.

Beachgoers who may encounter a sick animal on the beach are advised to stay clear and contact authorities at animal care and control centers.

Those wishing to volunteer or donate funds to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro can follow this link for more information.