Avoid Contact with Stranded Marine Mammals
Mar 06, 2025 09:34AM ● By Mb News Staff
A sick sea lion is stranded on the beach. Photo via Marine Mammal Care Center.
Update 3/18/25: Roundhouse Aquarium aquarist Eric Martin warned that multiple dolphins have washed up along South Bay beaches in the last day alone. Residents are urged to stay away from any sick animals or birds on the beach. If you don't have the right phone number handy, report any sick creatures to the nearest lifeguard.
Stay away from stranded sea lions - and call for help if you see one. That's the message being sent by the Marine Mammal Care Center and other local government officials in the wake of a domoic acid poisoning outbreak affecting the sea creatures.
Due to a variety of factors, sick and starving sea lions have increasingly been seen along the coastline, especially in the past week. The Marine Mammal Care Center has said that it is currently bringing in three to five animals per day.
If you see a stranded sea lion or other mammal on the beach, stay away and call 1-800-39-WHALE for rescue assistance.
Animals suffering from domoic acid poisoning may be unpredictable and aggressive. Humans and their pets are urged to stay at least 50 feet away.
The Manhattan Beach Police Department noted in its weekly crime report that on March 3, "a family with kids approached an adult male sea lion demonstrating seizure activity and began petting him. "The family was incredibly lucky they did not get bit[ten]," noted the police.
Similarly, according to MBPD, on March 2 in Redondo Beach, a family gathered around a sea lion and attempted to take a selfie, which scared the animal back into the water and prevented it from being rescued, potentially leading it to drowning if it had a seizure in the water.
What Is Domoic Acid Toxicosis?
According to the Marine Mammal Care Center, the
current outbreak is due to domoic acid toxicosis
(DA) and the confirmed prevalence of Pseudo-nitzschia australis (the
type of algae that produces DA) along the Southern California coast. Additionally, heavy rains and nitrate-rich organic runoff feed these
algae blooms and can contribute to their size and severity.
DA blooms
used to occur every 4-7 years. The frequency of these blooms has
increased in recent years, exacerbated by climate change, warming ocean
temperatures, and other human activities, according to the Marine Mammal Care Center.
Furthermore, and sadly, this is also the time of year when starving young elephant seal pups begin to strand along the LA County coastline.
The Marine Mammal Care Center currently has 35 sea lions in its care, with eight of those being admitted yesterday alone.
Marine Mammal Care Center
The Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a leader in the field of marine mammal health and conservation.
It is only organization authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to respond to marine mammals in distress year-round along the entire Los Angeles County coastline from Malibu to Long Beach, Catalina Island and at sea.
When the Marine Mammal Care Center receives a mammal, the center provides veterinary care and support with the goal of returning the animal to the wild.
