Wild Sea Lions Now Face Risk of Brain Damage

2015 has been a rough year for sea lions in California.  Here at Awesome Ocean we have spent a lot of time covering the unusual mortality event or UME.

Researchers estimate that between 2012 – 2015 over 50,000 sea lion pups have died off the coast of California.

While rescue organizations like the Marine Mammal Center, SeaWorld, Georgia Aquarium, and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom were busy this past year responding, rescuing, rehabilitating and returning sea lion pups back to the Pacific Ocean, those pups are now facing a new threat.

Unusually warm waters caused by El Nino has created the perfect storm for out of control growth of toxic algae.

This toxic algae has led to the cancellation of the California crab fishing season due to toxins and a danger to human consumption. But sea lions have not gotten the memo and now they are suffering from this consequence of El Nino.

The algae, which releases domoic acid, is toxic to humans and other marine animals. Sea lions and marine mammals that eat crabs, oysters, mussels, sardines and anchovies become sick when exposed to this neurotoxin.

This neurotoxin can create confusion in sea lions and lead to the loss of spatial reasoning, which is a big problem when you are hunting for food and trying to avoid predators in the open ocean.

Researchers conducted tests on 30 sea lions that were rescued after stranding on the beaches in California. They found the sea lions were experiencing a significant loss of spatial memory.

A sad cycle is forming. Sea lions are now struggling to hunt prey. Their prey is disappearing due to warming oceans and the prey they do manage to catch is now toxic.  Now SeaWorld and other rescue facilities are bracing for another record year of sea lion pups being abandoned on the beaches of California.

Zoos, aquariums and marine parks are essential parts of the conservation landscape in California and the world.

Continued support of your local accredited zoological facility helps them address these animals critical needs.