A toxic, major algae bloom in coastal waters from San Luis Obispo to San Diego is killing countless marine animals, including whales and especially dolphins.
The toxic algae bloom, which produces a neurotoxin called domoic acid, has been detected for the fourth year in a row.
The area was labeled an extreme danger zone by regional health and environmental groups on Thursday, just days after 16 dead and dying dolphins were discovered by NOAA teams in San Diego.
“The Sunday toll brings the total dolphins collected by the San Diego team since the first impacts of the domoic acid event were seen in March to more than 50,” said an update from NOAA Fisheries.
“The details provide a snapshot of how the ongoing harmful algal bloom is affecting one of the most popular stretches of the Southern California coastline. Of the 14 dolphins tested so far, 11 have had high levels of domoic acid. One showed both domoic acid and saxitoxin, a different neurotoxin produced by another marine microorganism that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning,” the update said.
“Hundreds of additional dolphins and sea lions have also died in other areas of California since the first domoic acid impacts were detected near Los Angeles in February.”
Experts are calling this outbreak the worst yet.
“It’s the worst we’ve ever seen here in Southern California on many different fronts, but dolphin strandings, it’s unprecedented,” said John Warner, the chief executive officer of the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles.
A map from the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System shows where the high amount of domoic acid at the center of the toxic algae bloom is spreading along the Southern California coast and killing numerous animals.
Debris from the wildfires and fertilizer runoff are suspected of contributing to the toxic algae spread. It is eaten by small fish, which are then eaten by marine mammals and birds, leading to potentially deadly toxic overdoses.
Sea lions and birds can be saved, but it is almost always fatal for dolphins.
City News Service contributed to this report.
