“As we are currently seeing intense surges of domoic acid along the California coast, our hotline is inundated with reports of animals in need to the tune of 3-6x our normal call volume, with some days seeing nearly 700 calls,” the center said in a statement.
In sea lions, the brain is attacked by domoic acid, causing seizures and heart failure. When it’s untreated, it usually causes permanent brain damage, according to the marine mammal center.
The toxin will naturally flush from an animal’s system over time, but sea lions repeatedly exposed to the toxin will suffer longer-lasting and more serious effects.
Domoic acid also affects humans who eat contaminated crab, shellfish and fish, causing a life-threatening condition known as amnesiac shellfish poisoning, the marine mammal center said.
People and their pets should keep their distance from stranded or distressed marine mammals and call the center’s hotline, if they are located between Mendocino and San Luis Obispo County, at 415-289-SEAL (7325).
More information is available at marinemammalcenter.org/ .