Non-profit organizations have been trying to cure these sea lions of the toxic algae
A toxic algae bloom from Santa Barbara to off the coast of San Diego County has been poisoning sea lions, often resulting in their deaths. Dead dolphins have also shown up on California’s beaches, and in some cases, both dead dolphins and sick sea lions line the shores.
How are the sea lions sick?
The algae, Pseudo-nitzschia, creates a neurotoxin called domoic acid. Little sea creatures, such as fish, eat the toxic algae. In turn, sea lions and other animals, such as dolphins and seagulls, eat these little sea creatures. If the sea creatures are sick, the sea lions also get sick, exhibiting erratic behavior from the domoic acid.
Any effects?
The toxic algae can cause lethargy, disorientation, vomiting, bulging eyes, muscle spasms, seizures and death. Luckily for humans, fish and other sea creatures are tested before being served to humans. However, the California Department of Health warned humans against eating “sport-harvested mussels, clams or scallops from Santa Barbara County” as high levels of toxin were detected there.
What problems have arisen?
One of the main concerns is that the deaths and aggressive behavior of the sea lions affect humans near beaches. For instance, the Los Angeles County lifeguards have urged beachgoers to stay at least 50 feet away from the sea lions. Not only that, but people who report the sick sea lions and dead dolphins say that the ocean is “coughing up death,” with more and more sea lions and dolphins washing up onshore and dying.
Another problem is that the organizations have too many sea lions to manage. The Marine Mammal Care Center volunteers have had to take care over three times what they had last year. They bought fish that would last them a whole year at their normal rate. However, since they have many more sea lions, they have used all of their 150 thousand pounds of fish before July 2023. Furthermore, they needed to use some of the parking space just to accommodate all the sick sea lions. Dr. Lauren Palmer, a vegetarian who nurses the sea lions, has not had a day off in months because of all the sick sea lions.
How do these blooms spread?
According to the Marine Mammal Care Center, this year’s toxic algae bloom is the most devastating bloom in years. This is because the waters have been the warmest this year due to climate change, which encourages a faster spread of toxic algae.
Is there a cure?
Though humans cannot completely cure sea lions of the toxins, veterinarians have been treating these sea lions with anti-seizure medicine and keeping them hydrated. Though it is not always successful, in some cases leaving permanent damage on the brain, which causes the sea lions to forever show erratic and aggressive behavior. Still, the currently practiced methods have shown most promising results in flushing out the toxins in sea lions.
So many sea lions have died, and so many people are exhausted.
As the toxic algae started spreading, over 100 dolphins and 500 sea lions have died from the toxic algae. In hopes to make things better, rescuers are trying their best in their mission. "We had ten that were in our care, many of them born on site. Six survived and are doing extremely well," CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center John Warner said. One of the sea lions in the group of six, who was very young, is now able to play with other sea lions in the group of six.
"It is impossible for our small nonprofit organization to handle this unprecedented volume," Co-founder and managing director of the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute Ruth Dover said. "There are cases we cannot get to, and it’s not because we don’t care. It’s because there are too many animals stranding with domoic acid for us to physically respond to in a day." According to Dover, they can get up to 60 reports an hour of marine mammals in distress. This would mean that more than 300 reports a day could come in.
People are exhausted from all the sea lion reports in one day. Both the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute and the Marine Mammal Care Center are working hard to save many of the sick sea lions with the ultimate goal of releasing them into the wild. In reality, this will take a long time to achieve, and it is also not guaranteed that all sea lions will survive after a rescue, as many have already died onshore.
What should WE do?
Considering the difficulty involved in curing sea lions, humans need to prioritize solving the toxic algae bloom problem over saving sea lions. To avoid consuming excessive amounts of time and resources, humans should try to solve the main problem before they focus on the side effects.
Large organizations such as the Marine Mammal Care Center and Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute should also inspire all people to take action. By addressing underlying issues, humans can help create a better world and environment, not just for sea lions but for all living organisms.
Comments