Neurotoxin to blame for recent sickness/death of sea lions

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http://www.uniontrib.com/news/state/20020327-0037-ca-sealions.html

Toxin may be to blame for recent problems with sea lions

ASSOCIATED PRESS

March 27, 2002

LOS ANGELES - Scientists believe a neurotoxin off the California coast is

responsible for the recent spate of sea lions that have washed ashore in Los

Angeles and Ventura counties.

Five pregnant sea lions have been found since Sunday either disoriented or

experiencing seizures. Two of the mammals were taken to Fort MacArthur

Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro and were being force-fed fish,

medicine and electrolytes. Three others died.

Center officials suspect a naturally occurring neurotoxin that is blooming

off the coast between Monterey and San Obispo is responsible for the

illness. The scientists believe the sea lions ate fish that contained the

toxin in that area and later became ill in Southern California waters.

Scientists said the microscopic organisms, which have domoic acid, are eaten

by small fish and can be toxic. Of the 34 sea lions that have washed ashore

in Los Angeles and Ventura counties this year, officials suspect half

suffered from domoic acid poisoning.

Health officials are investigating whether domoic acid is responsible for

the deaths of 23 dolphins found on Southern California beaches in recent

weeks.

" They seem to be having the same symptoms, they're from the same body of

water and there's some overlap in their food, " said Heyning, deputy

director for research at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Results from tests of dolphin tissue should be available by the end of the

week.

Domoic acid was deemed a health hazard in 1987, when four people died and

more than 100 fell ill from eating contaminated blue mussels on Prince

Island in Canada.

The toxin also was blamed in the deaths of 100 brown pelicans and cormorants

in Monterey Bay in 1991, and 50 sea lions between San Obispo and Santa

Cruz in 1998.