For the third consecutive summer at The Marine Mammal Center, we’re responding to California sea lions suffering from extreme illness, and this time in record numbers.
What’s happening? The culprit is a harmful algal bloom that produces domoic acid, a dangerous neurotoxin that attacks the brain and heart.
The toxin can cause seizures, heart failure and, sadly, death if left untreated .This outbreak of domoic acid toxicosis in Central California is occurring just as we are searching for our new home for our San Luis Obispo operations — and we are asking for your help.
You see, we must vacate our Morro Bay field office by January 2026. The Morro Bay area is critical to the Center’s lifesaving work, especially as domoic acid outbreaks happen more frequently in the area.
Opinion
In fact, this year’s outbreak has seen more distressed marine mammals along the coasts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties than we’ve seen before. Since mid-July, our team has responded to more than 100 sea lions, four dolphins and five northern fur seals, all showing symptoms consistent with domoic acid toxicosis. That is more than triple the typical number of distressed marine mammals our team responds to in the San Luis Obispo area.
The good news is that if sick sea lions are rescued and treated in time and the disease is not too severe, they will likely survive. Currently, the rescued animals are triaged to the Center’s field office in Morro Bay.
Once stable, the sea lions are then transported to our hospital in Sausalito so we can provide them with the best possible care. Our Sausalito hospital is equipped to care for up to 200 marine mammals at one time. This need to find a new home is urgent. Despite spending several months searching for a new property, we have yet to find one that is the right fit. So we’re asking you and the San Luis Obispo community for help generating property leads.
We are open to a variety of options, including retrofitting an existing building or constructing a new facility from the ground up. Our ideal property would be at least half an acre, but smaller properties may be considered. To care for sick and injured marine mammals, we’ll need water, power and sewer connections, enough space to store equipment and vehicles, outdoor space for dry animal pens, and a building that can accommodate staff and volunteers.
The location must be in or near the Morro Bay area. As we continue our search for a suitable location, we welcome any suggestions from the community. Please email SLO@tmmc.org if you know of a potential property that might be a good fit. It is crucial for us to find a new location so that we can continue helping the vulnerable animals that need us this summer and beyond. If you don’t have any property leads but still want to support our life-saving work, consider making a gift at MarineMammalCenter.org/donate.
Cecily Majerus is the CEO at The Marine Mammal Center, the world’s largest marine mammal hospital.
Local News
Comments / 0