The Manhattan Beach City Council has approved $50,000 to support the work of the nonprofit Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC), formalizing a new public-private partnership.

The agreement comes in the wake of a massive surge in demand for MMCC's services, with a rise in marine mammals in need of rescue, and with MMCC being the only agency currently equipped to manage and care for those animals. (A different local agency known as Marine Animal Rescue shut down in 2022.)

Dave Bader, MMCC's chief operations and education officer, told the Manhattan Beach City Council that the center averages 250-500 animals per year, but this year from January to April the center cared for more than 400 animals. The group's hotline averages 4,000 calls per year, but in March alone, the hotline received more than 3,800 calls.

MMCC, which receives the majority of its funding from private donations, has submitted proposals to all Los Angeles County coastal cities in the hopes of securing a collective regional solution to meet the service demands of the increasing volume of marine mammal strandings.

The Manhattan Beach City Council directed staff to grant the $50,000 as part of a one-year agreement, with the option to extend for two additional years; the City Council further directed staff to explore alternative funding sources and, if none are identified, to proceed with General Fund support, with a request to receive a report from MMCC  throughout the year.

The organization has secured agreements with four other coastal cities, has pending agreements with three other cities, and has reached an agreement from Los Angeles County for $100,000, with further amounts being negotiated, according to Bader.

Stranded sea mammals, when affected by domoic acid poisoning, may act erratically or even aggressively. Officials have warned people to stay away from any such animals and call 1-800-39-WHALE for rescue assistance.

Given the importance of the work of the MMCC, and the need to ensure safety on the city's beaches, Mayor Amy Howorth said that she viewed the need for the contribution as a "public health issue."

Councilmembers also discussed the possibility of assisting the center with outside fundraising efforts. 

Since February 20, 2025, the Marine Mammal Care Center has been responding to a record number of live stranded sea lions and dolphins with domoic acid toxicosis caused by a toxic algal bloom off the LA County coastline.

According to MMCC, domoic acid is a naturally occurring neurotoxin produced by algae that accumulates in fish such as sardines and anchovies, which are then consumed by marine mammals, leading to severe neurological symptoms. This toxin can cause seizures, aggressive behavior, lethargy, dehydration, vomiting, and even death in a variety of marine animals, including sea lions, dolphins and seabirds.While these incidents used to occur every four to seven years, the frequency of these toxic algal
blooms has increased in recent years, exacerbated by climate change, warming ocean temperatures, runoff into our oceans and other human activities. According to Bader, this year’s bloom is worse than the one in 2023, which was the worst ever recorded until now. Other causes of strandings include malnutrition, infectious diseases, entanglements, and toxicity from harmful algal blooms, among other threats.

Marine mammal strandings are a major concern in Los Angeles County because the area has the least amount of critical shoreline habitat in all of California. Unpopulated habitat areas give marine mammals areas to rest, wait out storms, give birth, nurse pups, or recover when sick or injured. Without these places, sick marine mammals have no choice but to come ashore on LA County beaches that are heavily populated by people. This creates public safety and public health issues that are unique to Los Angeles County.

Beachgoers are urged to stay away from marine mammals both for their own safety and for the safety of the animals themselves. 

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.