Thousands of marine mammals sick, dying along Southern California coast

Marine life experts are concerned about a severe algae bloom that has left thousands of marine mammals, including sea lions, dolphins and whales, sick or dead along the Southern California coast this year.

One humpback, one minke, and two gray whales have washed ashore dead in Orange and Los Angeles counties, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries West Coast stated in a news release.

NOAA confirmed that domoic acid was the cause of death in the juvenile female humpback whale stranded in Huntington Beach and the juvenile male minke whale stranded in the Port of Long Beach.

“This is consistent with the many other marine mammals we have seen affected by domoic acid produced by the harmful algal bloom off Southern California, first detected in February,” NOAA’s West Coast regional office spokesperson Michael Milstein told the L.A. Times earlier this week.

NOAA stated that the toxin accumulates in small fish like sardines and anchovies before affecting the entire marine food chain.

“This is the fourth consecutive year of domoic acid outbreaks, with this one being the most severe yet. As ocean temperatures rise, these harmful blooms are becoming more frequent and intense,” the news release stated.

Anyone who spots a stranded marine mammal is asked to report it to the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network hotline at 866-767-6114.