Sea animals are washing up on San Diego shores lost and confused, and some of them are very sick.
It’s because of a toxic algae bloom that started north of San Diego and spread south.
Fifteen seals and sea lions in San Diego have been treated for toxic acid exposure so far, and this number will likely grow.
Toxic algae sickening sea lions across SoCal
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“This is this is the largest bloom I've seen in my career,” said Dr. Kelsey Herrick, a veterinarian with SeaWorld San Diego. “Up in Santa Barbara County and Ventura County, that's where the initial very big bloom happened and that's where the bulk of the animals were stranding. So, thousands of sea lions and hundreds of dolphins.”
She said San Diego is seeing the least of the illness in the state, but it’s getting worse here, too.
It starts with something called domoic acid. The acid is a potent neurotoxin that lives in algae and enters the food chain once shellfish eat it. It’s harmless to shellfish but can be deadly to mammals as the toxin gradually makes its way up the food chain.
Veterinarians can rehab most sea mammals, but not all.
“Some of them do need to be humanely euthanized,” Dr. Herrick said. “Some of them have actually irreversible brain damage from the toxin. And so for animals that are that affected, unfortunately, there's no way to treat that.”
A tell-tale sign of an animal that’s been infected is the animal washing up on the shore appearing disoriented.
“We've seen animals walking on roads or walking into people's private properties on the beaches,” Dr. Herrick said. “So just anything like really, really abnormal.”
Toxic algae and 'Freeway' the sea lion
Some San Diegans might remember "Freeway" the sea lion, who was repeatedly found far inland. Freeway died in April 2023. A progressive disease had done enough damage that SeaWorld opted to euthanize him to prevent suffering, the park said at the time.
In June of 2022, a different sea lion wandered onto a Carlsbad golf course, miles from the beach.
A spokesperson for SeaWorld, Tracy Spahr, confirmed that Freeway may have also been a victim of the algae back in 2021. In retrospect, the sea lion was showing signs that could be interpreted as a symptom of a neurological infection.
Who to call to help sick sea animals
One of the biggest things for tourists and San Diegans to remember if they see a sea animal washed up on shore looking delirious is don't try to approach it. Rather, call the SeaWorld helpline at 1-800-541-SEAL (7325) and a rescue team can come out to help.
