Scores of Pacific Coast marine animals — including whales, dolphins, sea lions and pelicans — are falling ill, becoming aggressive, and even dying due to a particularly toxic bloom this year.
The victims include “an unprecedented number of dolphins” washing ashore, scientists told KABC-TV.
“It’s the worst we’ve ever seen here in Southern California on many different fronts, but dolphin strandings, it’s unprecedented,” according to John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles.
The animals are suffering from domoic acid toxicity due to an algae bloom that has been getting worse for several years.
Not only is the algae killing animals up and down the southern California coast, the potent neurotoxin causes many of them to exhibit unusually aggressive behavior.
There have been numerous reports of sea lions and other animals attacking surfers or swimmers in the area.
Crazy video of aggressive sea lion in Newport Beach chasing after surfers.
Sadly the sea lion was euthanized due to the toxic algae bloom plaguing the coast of Gavin Newsom‘s California pic.twitter.com/seskLILhvO
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) April 17, 2025
Many of the animals are seen experiencing seizures as they wash ashore, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Marine rescue groups have been busy trying to nurse some of the animals back to health, but they’re not always successful.
An estimated 700 sea lions and over 200 dolphins have been found suffering from the problem. “While some pinnipeds have been successfully treated and released, domoic acid poisoning is almost always fatal for dolphins,” the Mercury News reported.
Justin Viezbicke, coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s California stranding network, told the Mercury News, “So far this is the largest and most intense algal bloom since I’ve been here.
“All of our facilities are really full, and the staff and the volunteers have been going for months now.”
SeaWorld San Diego also has a rescue team working feverishly to help the suffering animals.
The region has always experienced toxic algae blooms, but human impacts — including pollution from industrial run-off, fertilizer, and sewage — have magnified its negative effects, according to the CDC.
It’s rare for humans to be affected by domoic acid, according to scientists, but they are susceptible to amnesic shellfish poisoning affected by some types of blooms and large quantities of the toxin ingested.
That can cause hallucinations, confusion, and memory loss, as the name implies. Symptoms can include vomiting and cramping, and even coma or death.
For this reason, the CDC recommends staying away — and keeping your pets away — from “discolored, scummy or smelly” water and rinsing off with tap water immediately after exposure.
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