Pollution has sporadically been hitting marine life mercilessly, even leading to mass killings, be it oil, chocking the ocean life to death, or algae-borne, their booming being led by pollution of the waters.
Algae, in large blooms release a toxin — domoic acid – which is found to be poisoning the sea lions living on the sand in nearby Manhattan Beach. This is spotted by Peter Wallerstein of the Whale Rescue Team — a Los Angeles-authorized private group-that bids to rescue whales and other marine mammals.
With the domoic acid poisoning killing hundreds of the animals across Southern California this spring, the marine mammal hospitals at Southern California have been overwhelmed by sickened sea lions fallen victims to the acid. And, it appeared in record levels off the coast of Los Angeles in April.
With about 120 sea lions brought to the center since March 1, shockingly, about 70 of those are suspected of being poisoned by domoic acid, according to Dr. Lauren Palmer, the chief veterinarian at the center said.
And to add to the worries, about 35 percent of those found to have been poisoned died so far. Others, which had recovered have been released back into the waters – ‘just to make them come back poisoned again?’
Mr. Wallerstein said,
In over 22 years of marine mammal rescues, I’ve never seen such distress of marine mammals. The stress and the fright, it’s kind of shocking.
Though, the estimated 200,000 to 300,000 population of the California sea lions are assured to be nowhere near endangered, and that the commercial fish available in grocery stores and restaurants was safe, but the deaths and the high toxin levels are worrying scientists and environmentalists – with no solution being yet found at the roots, i.e. stop climate change, pollution and nutrients in the water from triggering the algae’s spread.
Perhaps, it has already reached a state of ‘no-return!’