Domoic Acid Sickens Sea Lions

By Kristin S. Agostoni

RESCUES: Experts urge beachgoers to keep away from stranded creatures.

By Kristin S. Agostoni

Staff Writer

The inn is nearly full these days at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro.

At last count, veterinarian Lauren Palmer said the center’s patients numbered about 75 – including a half-dozen sea lions believed to be sick from ingesting toxic algae and dozens of elephant seal pups struggling to live on their own.

Experts say the increase in marine mammals stranded on local sands has almost become a spring tradition. And as the trend persists, they’re renewing calls for beachgoers to give the animals their space.

The National Marine Fisheries Service recommends that people who encounter stranded animals refrain from trying to help them and move at least 50 feet away.

“The key thing is, people need to do what’s best for the animals and for them,” said Peter Wallerstein, a rescue specialist with the nonprofit group Marine Animal Rescue, whose cell phone has been ringing frequently these days.

Already this year, Wallerstein counts more than 100 marine mammals he’s saved from local beaches, while Palmer said the Marine Mammal Care Center so far has taken in 136.

“That’s pretty much on track to be another one of our busy years,” Palmer said. “Spring is usually when we see an influx of animals. Unfortunately, it’s become almost an annual event.”

Experts attribute the uptick in rescues this time of year to a combination of factors.

Today, young, northern elephant seals amount for about 50 of the animals being treated at the care center, said David Bard, the operations manager.

The seals are usually born in January and nurse for about 30 days until they get teeth and begin a natural fast, he said.

Then, they form groups and figure out how to hunt for food – a task that can leave some of the young animals starving and dehydrated.

“We’ve been having a number of elephant seal pups coming into the Los Angeles County area for a couple of months now,” said Joe Cordaro, marine mammal stranding coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service. “What that reflects is that there was just a real bumper crop of elephant seals this year.”

With the center operating close to capacity, Palmer said officials this month began instituting 24- to 48-hour wait periods, meaning animals not in desperate need of help will remain on the beach under watch.

If a pup seems to be of a decent weight, Bard said it is recommended that beach visitors keep their distance.

Domoic acid poisoning is also believed to be a factor in recent rescue calls – although not necessarily to the extent it has played in the past.

Palmer said six sea lions being treated in San Pedro were likely sickened from ingesting domoic acid, which is a naturally occurring toxin produced by microscopic algae.

The toxin moves up the food chain from small diatoms to sardines and shellfish that are eaten by marine mammals. As a result, the animals can become disoriented and crawl up to shore.

Last May, scientists conducting a multiyear study of the sea algae blooms within a 154-square-mile patch of ocean from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Newport Beach found some of the highest levels of the toxin that had ever been tracked.

But David Caron, a USC biology professor who is leading the study, said it’s been difficult this year to make a comparison.

With blood and urine taken from animals at the care center, researchers have made tentative confirmations of domoic acid, and additional water samples also have shown traces of the diatom, he said.

But because of funding constraints, Caron said the research has been scaled back.

“We’re kind of trying to keep things together,” he said. “We’re analyzing some samples, as much as we can. We haven’t had a massive event this year that we are aware of.”

Still, the recent sightings of beached mammals have prompted a new round of warnings to surfers and sunbathers.

Some don’t understand the consequences of getting too close, said Los Angeles County lifeguard Capt. Terry Harvey. He recalled one instance when a mother decided to snap her daughter’s picture in front of a stranded animal that had been cordoned off with police tape.

“It chased the little girl up to the berm, and the mom and the daughter were screaming. It’s out of curiosity and a lot of times concern,” Harvey said.

“Thank God the sea lion stopped.

kristin.agostoni@dailybreeze.com

HOW TO HELP

Beachgoers who find a beached sea lion or elephant seal along the shoreline are asked to maintain a distance of at least 50 feet and call Marine Animal Rescue’s 24-hour hotline, 800-39-WHALE.

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