Latest news with #JeniSmith
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Toxic algae threat eases along Southern California coastline
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Southern California's coastline may finally be seeing relief as domoic acid—the toxin recently devastating marine life—begins to subside. The rescue team at SeaWorld San Diego is finally starting to catch their breath after weeks of responding to calls about sick or disoriented sea animals at some of our local beach communities. 'They're eating fish, they're gaining weight, we haven't seen signs of seizures,' said Jeni Smith, rescue program curator at SeaWorld San Diego. The road to recovery looks good for these sea lions thanks to Smith and her team at SeaWorld. They're getting treatment for domoic acid poisoning caused by a toxic algae bloom devastating the Southern California coast this year. Once marine mammals are rescued, recovery times can vary. 'Six to eight weeks is the general time that it takes to rehabilitate a California sea lion, but for some of these domoic acid patients, it has been a little bit sooner,' Smith said. Dr. Clarissa Anderson, Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System Director at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says climate patterns drive the toxic algae blooms. 'This has been a really cold La Niña and it has been a very long event of cold water,' Anderson said. That environment fuels plankton which produce the harmful toxin. But experts are tracking a change in ocean conditions. 'They're not really great for most plankton to grow right now so we're seeing everything kind of going down simultaneously and so with that the toxins go down,' Anderson said. Since calls started flooding the phone lines at the end of February, SeaWorld has rescued over 60 sea lions, over 60 seabirds and several dolphins. NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center reports more than 50 dead dolphins have been recovered from San Diego beaches in recent months. 'We brought them back to SeaWorld and performed animal necropsies on them. There's always something we can learn from every single animal,' Smith said. While rescue crews are seeing fewer sick animals coming in lately, they're fully prepared to respond. And with health restored, these flippers will soon be waving goodbye to their rescuers. 'We are starting to formulate a list of animals that are ready for the next return trip,' Smith said. See a sea lion in trouble? Stay back and call SeaWorld Rescue at 1-800-541-SEAL. They'll take it from there. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
25-04-2025
- Health
What to know about the toxic algae bloom killing marine life in Southern California
An "unprecedented" toxic algae bloom has overrun the coast of Southern California, sickening marine animals and staining the shoreline, according to marine scientists. The toxin it produces is domoic acid. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began seeing an uptick in domoic acid toxicity cases in Los Angeles County in February, Jeni Smith, a rescue supervisor at SeaWorld San Diego, told ABC News. Other West Coast marine mammal stranding facilities -- which rescue and rehabilitate marine animals -- have reported seeing the same. Since then, the algae blooms have been spreading to San Diego County, Orange County, Santa Barbara County and beyond. Toxic algae blooms have always been a been a naturally occurring event in the region, but more regular occurrences began in 1998, Smith said. For the past four years, there have been annual incidents of ocean waters showing high concentrations of domoic acid and algae blooms, according to NOAA. And the levels measured in recent weeks have been "especially toxic," Alexis Fischer, an aquatic scientist at EutroPHIX -- a company focusing on restoring water quality -- and a former NOAA researcher, told ABC News. In addition, marine scientists in Southern California are accustomed to seeing the blooms start in the summer, when the waters are warmer -- not when it is still technically winter, Smith said. Recent water testing off of the Scripps Memorial Pier in San Diego indicated concentrations of domoic acid so high that the event will likely persist for some time before it's filtered out -- and it's unclear how long that could take, Smith said. Marine mammals such as whales, pinnipeds such as sea lions and pelicans are among the species that have been impacted by the toxin this year. Sea World San Diego has rescued over 100 animals suspected of suffering from domoic acid poisoning since February. That includes 44 birds, 57 California sea lions and 14 dolphins that were actively seizing or dead on arrival. Rescue centers along the coast have rescued more than 1,000 animals total in that same period, Smith said. Partners of the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network are receiving 100 calls a day on average for reports of animals poisoned by the toxic algae bloom, according to NOAA. At rescue facilities, marine biologists attempt to flush out the toxins using fluid therapy. During necropsies, biologists can determine whether domoic acid was the cause of death by examining the brain and heart. "It does take an emotional toll in the field," John Warner, chief executive officer of the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles, said in a statement. "Year after year, it's getting tough. Each of our organizations is trying hard to get to as many animals as we can, but we don't have the resources to rescue every one that is out there." What are toxic algae blooms? Harmful blooms occur when colonies of algae grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects, according to NOAA. Pseudo-nitzschia, a needle-like group of single-celled algae that is capable of producing domoic acid, has been present in San Diego for years -- but its role in wildlife mortality has been increasing in recent years, according to researchers. Marine biologists at the University of Southern California announced in 2018 that the region's coast was emerging as a " hot spot" for toxic algae, with concentrations of domoic acid at the highest level ever recorded at the time. Manmade sources of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can seep into ocean waters and encourage the growth of algae blooms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another contributing factor is human wastewater. But a warming ocean appears to be helping to spread them farther north as well, researchers say. While the toxic algae blooms typically only form every four to seven years, warming temperatures and an increase of pollution can drive the growth and occurrences, according to the CDC. "I do think that these animals are definitely telling the bigger-picture story," Smith said. "With warming water and the climate getting warmer, we may see this more often." Wind-driven upwelling of deep ocean water can also feed rapid growth of the algae and the toxin it produces, according to NOAA. This phenomenon occurs when factors like wind push surface waters away, allowing for colder and more nutrient-dense waters to rise. Domoic acid in shellfish has been found to occur at high concentrations off the coast of San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, according to USC researchers. But the toxin tends to be more prevalent in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, due to more favorable environmental conditions for growing Pseudo-nitzschia -- including wind-driven upwelling, among other factors. What does domoic acid do? Domoic acid, the neurotoxin produced by the algae species Pseudo-nitzschia, can stain the ocean -- a phenomenon commonly known as "red tide" that appears as foam, scum, mats or paint on the surface of the water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the stains from this particular species tends to be brown, according to USC. The acid accumulates in shellfish before creeping up the food chain. Once ingested by fish, birds, seals and sea lions, the toxin attacks the nervous system. "It does change their brain, and it can affect their heart," Smith said. Changes in animal behavior include "abnormally aggressive" behavior or lethargy, Smith said. Some animals appear to not be aware of their surroundings and others have been seen having seizures on the beach, she added. Sea lions suffering from domoic acid poisoning have been observed exiting their habitat and moving toward urban areas, such as freeways, due to the toxins' effect on the brain, Smith said. "It affects each animal differently based off of how much of the fish that they have consumed," Smith said. Domoic acid can also cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans. Symptoms depend on the type of bloom, but acute cases with ingestion in high doses can include vomiting, cramping, coma and death -- as well as neurological impacts such as hallucinations, confusion and memory loss. However, human fatalities from domoic acid exposure are rare, scientists say. The CDC advises people to stay out of "discolored, scummy or smelly" water and to keep pets away. Humans or animals that come into contact with a toxic algae bloom should rinse off with tap water right after, according to the CDC. Several toxic algae incidents have been recorded in Southern California A number of recent incidents involving marine life have been blamed on the harmful toxic algae. The cause of death of a juvenile humpback whale stranded on Huntington Beach on Jan. 24 and a minke whale stranded on Long Beach on April 6 was determined to be domoic acid toxicosis, necropsies performed by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and the Ocean Animal Response & Research Alliance found. In March, a man who was surfing at Oxnard State Beach in Ventura County reported he was attacked by a "demonic" sea lion that bit him and dragged him off his board. The mammal was "devoid" of curiosity and playfulness, personality traits typically associated with sea lions, the surfer wrote on Facebook. A similar attack occurred on March 30, when a 15-year-old girl was bitten by an aggressive sea lion on Long Beach, Capt. Jack Crabtree, public information officer for the Long Beach Fire Department, told ABC News. The junior lifeguard candidate was swimming about 25 yards from shore during tryouts for the junior lifeguard cadet program when the sea lion emerged from the water and bit her, Crabtree said. Dozens of dolphins have also washed ashore since February, ABC Los Angeles station KABC reported. "It's the worst we've ever seen here in Southern California on many different fronts, but dolphin strandings, it's unprecedented," Warner told KABC. "It's unprecedented." Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror film "Birds" is thought to have been inspired by a domoic acid incident, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In the summer of 1961, thousands of frenzied seabirds were seen in Monterey, California, when Hitchcock was visiting. Santa Cruz Sentinel reported on Aug. 18, 1961.
The Guardian
12-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Inside the fight to save California's dying sea lions from toxic algae: ‘We're like 911 operators'
It was just after 8am on Tuesday, a thick morning fog still clinging to the California coastline, and SeaWorld's animal rescue team had already made their first save of the day: a hefty, sick-looking sea lion that had been waddling dangerously close to a four-lane highway in downtown San Diego. Now, in a private area of SeaWorld that few of the theme park's thousands of daily visitors ever get to see, the rescue team was in full 'triage' mode. Half a dozen staff members maneuvered the caged sea lion off the bed of a truck, and grabbed IV bags full of fluids and vitamins. Periodically, the animal slumped down, lethargic, and then bit at the bars of its transport cart. The high-pitched barks of other sea lions echoed through the complex. But this sea lion wasn't any average malnourished or stranded animal. It had fled its natural habitat and was acting uncharacteristically sluggish, or 'down and out', as Jeni Smith, the head of the rescue unit, put it – both potential signs of domoic acid poisoning, a neurotoxin currently being produced by a harmful algae bloom off the coast of southern California. 'We're like the 911 operators and we also respond to the calls,' Smith said, looking on as her team tended to the new arrival. 'We're also the ambulance, or the animal ambulance and then we're the caretakers once they're here, so we're like the nurses, too.' Smith quickly checked her phone, the one used to field 911-type calls from San Diegans who spot injured or sick sea lions. She had 31 missed calls and 18 voicemails in the last two hours alone. This has not been a typical spring for Smith and her team. While toxic algae blooms have plagued the Golden state for the past four years, 2025 may be the worst year yet – at least for San Diego. SeaWorld alone has rescued 47 sea lions and 30 birds with suspected domoic acid poisoning this year, compared with only 11 sea lions in 2024 and 18 in 2023. And beyond just San Diego, the outbreak has sickened hundreds of sea lions, dolphins, birds and other marine animals in California over the past month, leaving animal rescue workers scrambling to keep up. Small fish who consume the toxic algae, are then eaten by bigger animals, like sea lions and dolphins. For a sea lion with domoic acid poisoning, which can lead to seizures and heart failure, the chance of survival is roughly 50-50 if treated in time, Smith said. For a dolphin, it's often fatal. In response to the current outbreak, the SeaWorld San Diego rescue team has had to double its staff. The team has been receiving roughly 100 calls a day for several weeks. 'We kind of went from zero to 60 in two seconds,' Smith said. While scientists are still working to determine why, exactly, this year's bloom has been so extensive, with some posing questions about the potential impact of debris from the Los Angeles wildfires in January, warming oceans fueled by climate crisis have long been shown to contribute to extreme algae blooms. Whatever the exact cause, working on the animal rescue team lately has felt something like working in a high-pressure hospital setting, Smith said. 'We have those middle-of-the-night, intense rescues, and your adrenaline is so high,' she said. 'And throughout the day you're just going, going, going.' After the latest sea lion intake on Tuesday, the animal was added to a 'quarantined' pen with four others; one of the sea lions swam around a small pool of water, pawing at a tiny silver fish but not eating it. Elsewhere on the SeaWorld property, a handful of domoic acid-suspected pelicans huddled together, eyeing newcomers warily. Veterinarians and staff on the rescue team buzzed around, feeding animals and cleaning enclosures. With her hands full, Smith passed the rescue team's phone off to Tracy Spahr, SeaWorld's director of public relations, to help respond to calls. By the time Spahr returned, she had a long list of other sea lions that were in need of help next: one that appeared dead in Coronado, a pup lying by a lifeguard stand in Encinitas, another by the Pacific Beach pier that police had called in about and a fourth one stranded in Ocean Beach. 'And Scripps [Pier] called and there's one still there,' Spahr added, reading from a page of hand-written notes that she had taken about each call. ''Alive but struggling. It moves but is acting strange.'' Two hours later, SeaWorld's rescue team arrived at the scene. A large male sea lion sprawled across the sand by the pier, occasionally sitting up to crane his neck back towards the sky. While a crowd of beachgoers gathered to watch, two rescuers – Kevin Robinson and TG Plein – pulled their truck onto the beach and unloaded their gear: a metal crate, nets and several plastic boards. 'It's been a long month and a half,' Plein told one onlooker, as he answered questions about the recent domoic acid poisonings. With the help of two lifeguards, it took Plein and Robinson about 15 minutes to corral the barking sea lion into the crate and load it onto their truck. Though Robinson wasn't sure if the animal was impacted by the toxic algae bloom specifically – it could have been struggling with another type of infection or cancer – the plan was to bring him back to headquarters, take a blood sample or two and come up with a course of treatment. But for the rescuers, their day was far from over. They packed up and headed to Ocean Beach next, a tight-knit coastal community 20 mins south. Near the surf, a small sea lion was curled up, unmoving, in the sand. Flies buzzed around its head. A woman in a hot-pink shirt was hunched over it, taking photos. She had first spotted the animal the previous night, she said, and had been praying and singing to it since then. 'You're here!' she exclaimed to the rescuers, a tear in her eye. 'I'm the one who called!' This time the capture only took a minute or two. The rescuers were again unsure what the specific ailment was, but Robinson suspected cancer. 'We'll treat her like she's DA [domoic acid] initially, give her lots of fluids, maybe some antibiotics, that kind of thing, and run her through a full work-up,' he said. 'Then we'll have a better idea of what's going on.' Robinson, who has worked for SeaWorld for 48 years, has become very accustomed to this routine. Over the last two weeks, as the outbreak had intensified and spread from Malibu down to San Diego, he has been on a rescue run at least once every day. 'I'm a little bit tired, but I mean this is what rescue is about: It gives you a sense of purpose for the day,' he said. 'The goal is to do some really good work and to help these animals out. There's your motivation.' The rescue team's ultimate hope is that rehabilitated animals can be successfully released back into the wild. So far this year, SeaWorld has returned 10 sea lions that were treated for suspected domoic acid poisoning. After Robinson and Plein's mission in Ocean Beach, they headed back to SeaWorld. The rest of the afternoon could involve a lot more action, Robinson said, whether that meant more sea lion rescues or animal intakes. Technically, he works until 5.30pm each day – but that can easily change, especially as domoic acid poisonings continue. Although it's uncertain how long this current toxic algae bloom will last, previous blooms have sometimes lingered on for months. 'If need be,' Robinson said, starting back towards the rescue truck, 'we're here 24 hours.'
