1 week Ago By Jake Rodriguez
A toxic algae bloom is wreaking havoc along the Southern California coast, resulting in mass fatalities of marine animals, with an alarming number of dolphins surfacing dead on Los Angeles County shores. Aerial footage from SkyFOX depicted the grim seaside reality, showing several lifeless dolphins, as per a report from FOX 11, the circumstances of which are currently under scrutiny, while sea lions had previously fallen victim to this environmental crisis.The latest bloom stretching from San Diego to San Luis Obispo is laced with a neurotoxin known as domoic acid, which, according to John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles, has caused "unprecedented" dolphin strandings.
Michael Milstein with NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Region, has underscored the severity and consistency of the affected animals appearing at an alarming rate, which has been covered by ABC7.The situation has escalated beyond sea lions to hit higher up the food chain, with necropsies confirming domoic acid as the lethal factor in whale deaths. The Pacific Marine Mammal Center and Ocean Animal Response & Research Alliance determined this toxin was responsible for the cessation of a minke whale in Long Beach and a young gray whale in Huntington Beach, as reported by CBS News Los Angeles.
Ocean experts are sounding alarms about the increasing frequency and intensity of such harmful algal blooms, which are tied to rising ocean temperatures. This is the fourth consecutive year of a domoic acid outbreak in Southern California, with this one marked as the most severe, cited by Keith Matassa, CEO and founder of OARRA. NOAA indicated the toxin's escalation through the marine food chain, starting with small fish like sardines and anchovies, as shared by KTLA.
With no immediate relief in sight according to experts, and given the extent of the algae bloom, the marine ecosystem along the Southern California coast is experiencing severe ecological disruption, leading to a tragic loss of wildlife, and researchers hold on to hope that the surviving populations can recover promptly provided they have access to adequate resources..
