Photo: MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images
Marine mammals suffer from poisoning due to an algae bloom in the waters of southern California.
The Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) cares for sea lions, seals and other mammals that show symptoms of disease due to the high toxicity of domoic acid, caused by algae.
Known as the “red tide”, domoic acid is a naturally occurring neurotoxin that is produced by algae that tend to proliferate more during the spring and fall.
Fish and other animals at the bottom of the food chain can eat the toxic algae without negative consequences, while mammals and birds cannot.
Seals and sea lions they can ingest a high amount of domoic acid by eating a large number of small prey items through a process called “biomagnification”.
As a consequence of this poisoning, marine mammals become ill and tend to bury themselves on beaches while suffering from lethargy, disorientation, vomiting, and other serious medical symptoms.
When such marine mammal behavior is observed, this is the moment when CIMWI specialists spring into action to try to provide care for the animals.
However, a recent proliferation of these algae caused the reports on dolphins, sea lions and seals are so high that it exceeds the capacity of the organization.
“We get 30 to 60 calls an hour and can handle about 30 animals a day,” CIMWI Executive Director Sam Dover told the Santa Barbara Independent.
When specialists come to the beaches to find sick animals, they first look at the symptoms and try to test them for domoic acid.
The symptoms disappear after about three days and the marine mammals can recover to lead a normal life.but not everyone has the opportunity to do so.
The largest number of cases of poisoning in marine mammals occur on the coasts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
The nonprofit organization said that because of the algae, hundreds of sea lions and 60 dolphins died in the first weeks of June alone.
CIMWI said the degree of impact domoic acid has on a marine mammal depends on the amount of contaminated fish it eats, and if it is in large amounts, it can lead to death.
Domoic acid can cause brain damage and shrinkage of the hippocampus, part of the brain responsible for memory. In the event that the brain of a marine mammal is affected by the neurotoxin, little can be done with treatment.
In the past 20 years, Southern California waters have had five alarming algae bloomsincluding a very serious one that occurred last year.
Visitors to Southern California beaches are asked to keep a safe distance from marine mammals, and to report sightings of a sick animal to a local rescue organization, such as CIMWI, at 805-567-1505.
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