Sea lions are showing up sick in LA County again. That could be a sign of another bad algal bloom

A surge of sick sea lions suffering from domoic acid poisoning has moved into Los Angeles County.

It’s believed to be connected to another harmful algal bloom along the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties coastlines that have inundated the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) with more than 100 rescue reports each day.

The Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, which was overwhelmed with similarly sick sea lions last year, received their first patient from Marina del Rey on Thursday.

John Warner, CEO of the center, told LAist that the female animal died almost immediately after she was rescued. He added that it’s too soon to tell if it’ll be a repeat of this past summer, but a few animals have also died in Malibu within the past week.

“This is now [CIMWI’s] third year in a row with domoic acid,” he said. “That never happened in the past on a regular basis. So very new norms, if you will, and even then every year we're seeing things that catch us as surprises.”

What we know so far up north

The rescue hotline for the Channel Islands facility started ringing off the hook last Friday, according to Samuel Dover, a co-founder of CIMWI who manages the medical and research aspects of the organization.

They started seeing more adult California sea lions showing signs of the domoic acid neurotoxin, predominantly in females.

“From early July to the 25th, we had about 13 that were potential [cases], but none of them were specifically having seizure signs, and then on Friday the 26th is when things just went crazy,” Dover told LAist.

But he said, unfortunately, they’re getting used to that and they’ve been able to rescue 25 animals so far. They're also keeping an eye on 10 more.

For comparison, during last year’s domoic acid event, CIMWI responded to more than 650 animals, ultimately rescuing 97 sea lions. Dolphins were also showing up stranded, sick, and dying on the California coast.

But with over 100 beaches between both counties, the rescue said on social media that reaching sea lions who need their help can be challenging. On Wednesday, one of the teams hiked more than 4 miles to bring back one of the roughly 200-pound marine mammals to their facility.

If they make it to CIMWI, the sea lions are sedated so they don’t get any more stressed out, and then they’re given lots of fluids, antibiotics, and medications just in case there’s something else going on, Dover said.

They’ll also be given anti-seizure medication. Rescuers said that within two or three days they can typically tell if the animal will be able to recover.

The rescuers are also asking people to please be patient. CIMWI is responding to reports for at least nine hours each day, and they hope to extend that time as resources and daylight allow.

“There's only so many of us, we have quite a few people in the field, but you know, we're covering 155 miles of coastline,” Dover said. “So we have a pretty big range, and you know, we've got limited resources, that is trucks and people to drive them. So that's why we say be patient, ‘cause we're on it.”

A group of beachgoers helped the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute rescuers with a sick sea lion.

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Courtesy of Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI)

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Another angle of the beachgoers helping Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute rescuers with a sick sea lion.

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Courtesy of Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI)

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What about L.A. County’s sea lions?

Warner said he’s worried about the harmful algal bloom moving further south.

“Even during the summer event, my mind went to how do we prepare for what is no longer considered an unusual event, but just a mass stranding event,” he said.

That means they need to increase their readiness for these types of events. Warner said right now, they’re just not where they need to be.

L.A. County is unique in the sense there’s no natural habitat left for marine mammals who need to come out of the water and rest on the beaches, Warner added, which makes almost every animal a public health and safety risk as they share the strand with humans.

“It adds to the whole layer of extra costs of preparedness that you need to have that currently we just don't have,” he said. “So we don't have enough hospital space, rehabilitation space, or even personnel on the response side, let alone on the animal care side to really deal with these types of stranding events.”

What is domoic acid and how does it affect the animals?

Domoic acid is a type of neurotoxin that’s produced by harmful algal blooms, which naturally occur in the ocean.

The specific microscopic algae that produces the toxin, Pseudo-nitzschia, is eaten by fish, clams, mussels, and other smaller species.

“Now, it doesn't hurt the animals that are eating it, like the sardines and anchovies, for example,” Dover said. “But it does affect the mammals.”

The toxin builds up in the bodies of the fish, which are then eaten by animals like sea lions and dolphins. The more toxin the sea lions ingest, the higher the dosage becomes, which affects the severity of the poisoning symptoms.

The symptoms include lethargy, disorientation, head bobbing or weaving, foaming at the mouth, muscle spasms, inability to move, seizures, and death.

Why are these events happening more often?

Both Dover and Warner expressed concerns about how often domoic acid poisoning is popping up.

“These animals, marine mammals in general, are sentinel species,” Dover said. “They're telling us what's occurring in the environment. Unfortunately, in this case, there's a lot of a human component to this.”

For example, he said they see higher concentrations of the toxins around river mouths, where fertilizers, sewage, and other runoff from land feeds their growth.

Warmer waters also increase algal blooms, which we’re seeing more of these days, which Dover said only compounds the conditions.

“Remember, if we eat seafood, if we participate in ocean activities, everything that occurs on the land goes to the ocean, and everything from the ocean eventually comes back to land,” he said. “So while this affects the sea lions in this case, it can certainly affect us as well.”

Warner said their rescue network has been asked to prepare for the “inevitability” of more domoic acid poisoning events, but he said there’s still time for us to turn back the worst of what could come.

“The time is now,” he said. “There isn't a time tomorrow. All of these events put together should be a real good wake up call for people that we've got to do something big and bold to really turn this issue around so that we don't face its worst, and we've done it before.”

What to do if you come across a sea lion that needs help

If you find a sick, injured, stranded, or malnourished sea lion, there’s ways you can help.

The most important thing is not to touch it, and that includes trying to feed it or coax it back into the water. Remember, these are wild animals, and they could bite people and pets.

It’s recommended to stay at least 50 feet away from the animal, which is about the length of a school bus. Pay attention to how they’re acting, their condition, and physical appearance from a distance.

“If they see those types of behaviors, you really want to give all animals that strand space, but especially animals that are suffering from [domoic acid], because it's a neurological toxin and their behavior will not be what people are used to,” Warner said.

Take note of where the animal is, including any beach names or nearby landmarks. The more details the better, as this will help rescuers find it.

Once you’ve gathered as much information as possible, you can call the CIMWI hotline at (805) 567-1505 for an animal in Ventura or Santa Barbara counties. But don’t worry if you don’t hear back from them after you’ve made a report, they’ll only call if they need more information.

“For our organization, we're always in need of more volunteers for both beach and rehab shifts,” Dover said. “And then of course, we always need financial resources. So donations are definitely critical, especially during times like this, because we get overwhelmed.”

For animals in Los Angeles County, you can call the Marine Mammal Care Center at 1-800-399-4253. The center is also always looking for volunteers, more eyes on beaches, and donations.