As toxic algae harms more marine life, LA County looks to develop a long-term plan

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion Tuesday to help address a growing crisis of toxic algae sickening and killing sea life.

Over the last three months, hundreds of pelicans, sea lions, dolphins — and even some whales — have been sickened or killed by domoic acid poisoning, a toxin that occurs naturally in certain types of algae.

Experts say it’s likely Southern California’s worst toxic algae outbreak ever. Not only is the outbreak devastating for the ecosystem, but it can make animals more aggressive, prompting public safety concerns. The crisis has gotten so bad, rescuers are struggling to keep up with the numbers of sick sea animals.

“Year after year after year, having this type of stranding event is a real strain on resources,” said Dave Bader, a marine biologist with the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro.

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The nonprofit is the only organization authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, or NOAA, to respond to distressed marine mammals in L.A. County. That means they’ve been overstretched by the latest toxic boom, leading to a funding gap of about $750,000.

A regional approach

The motion, introduced by supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn, calls for city and county, and other stakeholders to meet within 60 days to discuss a longer-term plan. It also directs staff to identify up to $600,000 for the Marine Mammal Care Center. Horvath’s district has already allocated $100,000 in emergency funds to the rescue and rehabilitation center.

 ”This must be a county-wide effort, as well as a regional effort beyond the county alone,” Horvath said at Tuesday’s board meeting.

About 60% of the strandings the Marine Mammal Care Center responds to are on county beaches. Stressing budget issues, Supervisor Holly Mitchell agreed that coastal cities should also help fund the need.

“ This isn't district specific, but it's also not just county, so the other reason I held the item is to make sure that all of the coastal communities are going to put some skin in the game too,” Mitchell said.

How does the bloom compare with past years?

These devastating blooms generally occur every three to seven years, but we’ve had one every year over the last four years, said Bader of the Marine Mammal Care Center. In recent decades, the blooms have increased in both frequency and severity.

In 2023, L.A. County experienced what was previously the worst domoic acid poisoning event in local history, which led to another marine rescue operating in the county to go bankrupt. Since then, the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro has had to pick up the slack.

“We have an emergency right now, and we're doing our best to manage that, but this isn't about a one-off emergency,” Bader said. “This is something that's happening time and time again, and we need to ... have better resources to be able to respond to these increasing needs.”

Why is this happening?

Bader said the root cause is that climate change is creating conditions for more toxic blooms.

“This should be a wake up call to really get serious about addressing climate change,” Bader said.

Human activity is literally changing the chemistry of the ocean. As we pump more carbon pollution into the atmosphere, the ocean — a carbon sink — is absorbing more carbon dioxide.

“ As carbon dioxide is absorbed into the ocean, it decreases the pH of the ocean,” Bader said. “That’s what ocean acidification is.”

Research is finding that acidification may be good for toxic algae. On top of that, we dump a lot of bad stuff in the ocean, such as fertilizers and other chemical runoff, that creates more nutrients that certain toxic algae thrive on.

 ”What we really need is to recognize that climate change isn't a far away thing,” Bader said. “Its impacts are being felt today.”