It is tough times for young California sea lions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a special statement and is sending a team of researchers to figure this out. I do hope they ask fishermen and women because we have knowledge that will help.
Here is the special statement from NOAA:
. . .
Scientists from NOAA Fisheries are advising the public to stay away from all marine mammals in the wild, especially sick sea lions coming ashore on Southern California beaches.
Over the past several months, emaciated and starving sea lion pups that were born on rookeries on the Channel Islands have been coming ashore in Southern California. The pups are being cared for by marine mammal rehabilitation centers in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties; however, these centers are reaching capacity. Since January, more than 1,000 sea lions have been taken to rehabilitation centers where they receive nutritional and veterinary care.
As the rehabilitation centers reach capacity, they can only help the most critical cases. Although some animals are being admitted to other rescue centers in the northern part of the state, there is not enough room at stranding network facilities for all of them. As a result, the public may observe greater numbers of stranded sea lions, some of which may be visibly thin and appear to be in distress, on beaches. Scientists are observing these animals on a regular basis.
“Even with the best of intentions, members of the public should not try to assist sea lions or any stranded marine mammal on their own, but leave rescues to professionals from organizations authorized by NOAA Fisheries,” said Sarah Wilkin, NOAA Fisheries Southwest regional stranding coordinator. “All rescue actions increase the stress on the animal, puts the person at risk of injury from these wild animals, and is illegal without authorization.”
Sea lions are wild animals that can inflict significant injury. Pet owners especially should keep their pets away from sea lions. Allowing a pet to harass or injure a marine mammal may also make the owner subject to violation of federal law.
Individuals who encounter a stranded marine mammal should continue to report the animal to their local marine mammal response organization or local authority, such as animal control, but should be aware the animal may be left on the beach under observation, and may not be recovered and rehabilitated unless space becomes available.
The number of sick and starving sea lions coming ashore is unprecedented. NOAA has declared this to be an “unusual mortality event” and will bring researchers together to try to pinpoint the cause.
California sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but the species is considered healthy with a population of approximately 300,000.
. . .
Most who read my column know that I’m going to give you my thoughts. I could be wrong, and the researchers may come up with different answers. But I’d bet my gold doubloon on this (if I had one).
My guess is that by the time researchers use up their grant money and complete their study the problem will be history. I offer this observation based upon lots and lots of time at sea carefully observing critters and habitats.
Abundance of many food sources are on a cyclic basis. Anchovies and sardines — both of which are high on the menu of sea lions — are definitely among the critters whose abundance cycles dramatically and naturally. We didn’t create this problem, but we are observing it.
Sometimes the biomass of anchovies is very low in a specific locale for some years, and sometimes we are low on sardines. Every once in awhile, both species are on a down cycle simultaneously, which is currently the case — at least here locally. A point in case is that we have had very few loads of live bait for anglers in the past year. It is tough to find baitfish right now. The same is true for the predators who live on them.
When food sources are scarce among pinnipeds, they do not react in human-like ways, meaning the adults do not purposely eat less so that their children can eat. Instead, they chase the children away from the food source, sometimes in very violent and deadly ways. Those sea lion pups are leaving the water because they are under vicious attack. The adults can make more babies, and they will survive if at all possible and at the expense of any other users of the same food source.
This is life and death in the food chain, and nature works things out. It really hurts to watch youngsters of any species suffer. The harsh reality is, the ones we nourish back to relative health and release back into the wild will be swimming right back into the same deadly battle against the more powerful hungry adults. Time will work this out.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
