Rehabilitated sea lions were released back into the ocean in Redondo Beach

As a crowd of onlookers watched, four sea lions squawked their way back to the ocean in Redondo Beach on Wednesday after they were treated at the Marine Mammal Care Center.

One seal named Pat was malnourished and had trouble foraging when he was discovered in May by the Redondo Harbor. On Wednesday, he was released having gained weight and successfully catching fish on his own. Another seal, Manuel, was also malnourished when he was rescued from Cabrillo Beach in March. He has since gained 60 pounds and is now a keen forager.

Malnourishment is common in younger seals who strand on beaches in spring, said John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center.

“Sometimes once they leave moms, they just don't quite have those skills to forage for food successfully, and they will end up stranding on our local beaches,” he said. “Elephant seals in particular have to be taught how to eat fish.”

A third seal, Juanita, was underweight when she was found on Venice Beach, and after two months in the center’s care, she vomited fishing line. Nursed back to health, Juanita was released weighing 70 pounds. The fourth seal, Francisca, was found trapped in a fishing line on Catalina Island with hooks piercing her flipper and abdomen.

Warner said the rescued sea lions are put through “fish school” where they were taught what a fish is and how to consume it.

While malnourishment tends to be the most common condition these animals wash up with, Warner said in the past year there has been an uptick in respiratory issues like pneumonia. Warner said that could be “the effects of a lot of the storms that we saw over the winter and the runoff.”

Bacteria is present in the runoff water that flows into the ocean.

Changing environmental conditions have also resulted in the sea lions getting sick or starving.

“Fish that they would normally prey on are further out in colder waters,” Warner said, adding coastal waters are warmer now because of climate change. “The food leaves and young animals need to hunt closer to shore until they're larger and able to stay out longer into deeper water.”