Sick sea lions getting help

Suzie Harrison

The effects of the toxic algae bloom are back, and workers at the

Friends of the Sea Lion Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach are

operating around the clock to save the poisoned animals.

The center had a 25% rate of survival last year when it tried to

counter what domoic acid was doing to the sea lions.

“There aren’t different strains,” said Beate Litz, Friends of the

Sea Lion education director. “Domoic acid is just something natural,

unlike the flu, which is viral.”

How the sea mammals get sick is through their ingestion of fish

containing the toxin. It’s a process spread through the food chain

with the fish consuming the toxic algae and the sea lions eating the

fish.

“It’s interesting because we had some animals in February and

March with some symptoms of seizure, and got hit the end of March,”

said Michele Hunter, Friends of the Sea Lion director. “It really

picked up starting April 23. Since then, 33 are suspected so far.”

Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist for the National Marine

Fisheries Service, told Hunter that the crisis might be as bad or

worse than last year.

It was estimated that in Southern California about 685 sea lions

and 98 dolphins died as a result of the toxin between mid-March and

early June 2002. Elephant and harbor seals aren’t affected, he said.

The center has all the fecal and urine samples submitted to the

lab for testing to confirm the cause, but the symptoms were already a

telling sign.

Hunter said the toxin affects the mammal’s neurologically. The

symptoms are head weaving, bobbing, bulging from the eyes, mucus from

the mouth, disorientation and sometimes seizures.

Dr. Richard Evans, staff veterinarian and pathologist for 15

years, has a series of neurological tests he runs after the animals

die that show lesions in the brain.

Recovery depends on how much of the algae a sea lion has eaten.

Victims are primarily adult females, which are eating more because

they are pregnant. June is the time most of their pups are born.

“We have no adult males. They might be foraging in different

areas,” Litz said. “It would have to be where the females are feeding

because they eat the same thing.”

Cordaro had located where the blooms were previously, that was one

of the big questions last year, Litz explained.

“We have three [sea lions] from Laguna. Cheddar’s from Fisherman’s

Cove,” Litz said. “We’re now on the cheeses for names. We had eight

animals in on Cinco de Mayo, and they have names like Fiesta and

Margarita.”

Maggie Mae, Foxy, Parmesan and Cheddar were all snuggling up

together -- the Friends suspect each has the poisoning.

“Sea lions are known thigmotactic, real touchy,” Litz said. “See

them rubbing up against each other, piling on each other. Harbor

seals always stay a flipper’s length apart.”

Parmesan was weaving and bobbing her head profusely with a lot of

mucus dripping from her mouth.

“Mucus is formed because it settles in their lungs,” Litz said.

“They are semi-aquatic animals and they need to be moving.”

Perhaps the most devastating effect of domoic acid is that it

causes pregnant females to miscarry.

“Right now most are still not to term,” Hunter said. “June is

usually when they are born.

“We had one live birth Sunday morning. It was so premature the

lungs were not developed, it was gasping for air,” Hunter said. “We

put it to sleep. It was the only humane thing to do.”

Last year, Friends of the Sea Lion had a lot of miscarried pups.

Rescue volunteer Lindsey Van Schoick expressed how depressing the

atmosphere was.

“A lot of the deaths are pups aborted, and there is nothing you

can do,” Van Schoick said.

Asked if sea lions bonded with their pups, Litz said they believe

that they do.

“There is a mother-pup bond that is pretty much speculated,” Litz

said. “Jade gave birth to a pup, which we brought into the nursery to

get warm. She cried and cried and cried, so we walked her around the

nursery, to the side. They were put together and she stopped.”

Right now, the marine mammal center is full, with about 80 sea

lions.

“We’re inundated with pups and yearlings on top of this,” Litz

said.

So far, with this year’s epidemic, no pups that had the toxin have

survived.

Litz said it was through generous donations by the public last

year that they were able to treat and help save the California sea

lions.

“We need nice hoses that don’t kink very easily, and large,

hard-sided kiddie pools,” Litz said. “We also need laundry detergent,

bleach, vitamin B tabs and money donations to help feed them and pay

our water bill.”

Friends of the Sea Lion Marine Mammal Center is at 20612 Laguna

Canyon Road.

For information or to make a donation, call 494-3050 or go online

to www.fslmmc.org.

* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at 494-4321 or suzie.harrison@latimes.com.