Jul 8, 2014 7:18 PM by Victoria Johnson, KSBY News
Marine Mammal Center is seeing an increase in sick seals and sea lions
There has been a huge increase in the number of sick seals and sea lions on the Central Coast. Rescuers from the Marine Mammal Center say 676 marine mammals have been rescued between San Luis Obispo County and Mendocino County in 2014. 457 of them are sea lions. So far this year, 346 mammals have been released and 271 have died. These numbers are already up from last year when 277 were released and 176 died.
The Marine Mammal Center is reporting most rescued mammals are malnourished sea lion pups who may have been abandoned too soon by their mothers and they aren't sure why that is happening more frequently. Others are suffering from effects of domoic acid, also known as the "Red Tide." The acid is produced by a harmful algae bloom that could be related to agricultural runoff, ocean pollution and fluctuations in ocean temperatures related to El Nino...
