Los Angeles, California – Southern California’s beaches are seeing an alarming number of stranded marine mammals, and experts warn the crisis is only getting worse. A toxic algal bloom, producing high levels of domoic acid (DA), has left sea lions and dolphins sick, disoriented, and in some cases, dead along the coastline.
“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid bloom in 2023,” the Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles reported on Facebook.
Recent testing confirms that DA-producing algae levels are spiking, and officials anticipate an even greater impact in the coming weeks. The toxin, produced by certain types of algae, accumulates in fish and shellfish, poisoning marine mammals that consume them. Affected animals often suffer from seizures, disorientation, and aggressive behavior before becoming stranded on the shore…