Four sea lions were put back into the ocean in Venice on Wednesday after being treated for not getting enough food and shark bites in Southern California during a deadly algae bloom.
The Marine Mammal Care centre has been saving an unheard-of number of sick animals along the coast of Southern California for almost four months. They said that this year’s algae bloom lasted for 14 weeks and that sea lions and elephant seals became stranded with seizures or tiredness because of a neurotoxin called domoic acid in the algae.
The poisonous algae didn’t hurt the four pups that were let out near the Venice Pier on Wednesday morning, but two of them were hungry and two had shark bites. But the centre took care of them at a time when it was very busy with sick sea life caused by the bloom. A lot of animals, like sea lions, pelicans, whales, and dolphins, got sick.
In recent tests of the ocean water, the Care Centre found no more domoic acid, which means that this year’s poisonous algae bloom season may be over.
Marine biologists are also worried that the algae blooms will make it harder to protect seal mammals. Nearly 85% of all California sea lions breed on the Channel Islands. Because of this, many females won’t be able to take their babies to term.
CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Centre John Warner said, “Their bodies are just so wrecked that they will have miscarriages or aborted foetuses.” He also said that most of the female sea lions that were saved this year were pregnant. This year on the Channel Islands, there have been fewer births. We don’t know what the long-term effects of the seizures and brain toxin are.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed earlier this month to give $100,000 to the Marine Mammal Care Centre to help it deal with the bloom. The motion was made by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
It was pointed out in the move that the group had taken care of at least 410 marine mammals so far in 2025, but its budget only allows for 300 animals per year.
People in charge of the Centre said that during the first few months of the year, they treated more than 500 animals and took thousands of calls about sick animals on their number.
