The weather and ocean currents are helping to drive a toxic blob of sorts up the California coastline, threatening marine life there. The Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) reports that an “unprecedented multiple-toxin event” is under way, with a toxic harmful algal bloom (HAB) spreading from southern California to parts of central and northern California.
According to SCCOOS, there are two different types of marine algae present. Each produces a unique neurotoxin that can cause illness and death in marine mammals and seabirds and can also harm humans. The first is Domoic Acid (DA) which leads to amnesic shellfish poisoning; the second is Saxitoxin which leads to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP).
This is the fourth consecutive year of major Domoic Acid-related marine mammal mortality events in southern California…