by Chrissa Olson
Redondo Beach boat cleaner Jose Gutierrez was bit on the thigh by a sea lion while diving on a boat in King Harbor on June 20. He said he believes the sea lion was suffering from domoic poisoning, which has caused large numbers of sea lions to wash up on local beaches over the past month.
The San Pedro Marine Mammal Center is at capacity with 100 sea lions, over half of which are victims of domoic poisoning. During a recent press conference, the Center’s hospital director, Dr. Lauren Palmer, said that domoic acid can cause “severe” neurological effects.
The Center, which handles all LA County cases, and is entirely funded by donations, is facing a $250,000 budget shortfall, the center’s CEO John Warner said at the press conference.
“What makes this worse than what we’ve seen in a while is sea lions are washing up at Santa Monica Pier, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Venice Beach, and they’re foaming at the mouth, unresponsive and thrashing around in the waterline,” Warner said. “That’s something people don’t see on a regular basis and it’s frightening and disturbing to the public.”
The domoic acid poisoning is the result of an unusually persistent algae bloom.
“The algae bloom concentrations are greater than they ever have been because of warming ocean temperatures,” Warner said during the press conference. “This is all climate change related. The runoff from our rivers and agricultural fertilizers into the water creates a perfect storm for these events to get more severe.”
Palmer also noted the heightened intensity of this particular algae bloom is due to the bloom crossing into multiple counties. She noted that most algae blooms last between four to six weeks.
The center is preparing for events like these to become more frequent.
Bornes noted that care facilities depend on donations, and that their resources typically allow for only the regular number of animals. When a large influx caused by an algae bloom occurs, centers usually fill full capacity.
As a result, sea lions may remain on beaches for days, according to Warner.
Pono Bornes, a spokesperson for the LA County Lifeguard, said they are triaging and cordoning off areas with injured animals.
“If you see an animal that appears to be injured, give it plenty of space,” Bornes said. “If you try to help it, you’re most likely going to injure yourself, or exacerbate their injuries or illness. If you see people attempting to help, tell them to back up, and let a lifeguard know.” ER
