Outbreak of Biotoxin Killing Sea Life 'Very, Very Sad Situation'

The outbreak of a biotoxin thought to be responsible for the recent deaths of marine animals along the Southern California coast appears more severe than past occurrences, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach said Thursday.

Teams from the center this week have picked up several sea lions that experts believe were suffering from domoic acid poisoning, spokeswoman Melissa Sciacca said.

The animals, many of which have died, have been found near Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach, she said. On Sunday, two dolphins came ashore and died in Newport Beach—both suspected victims of domoic acid poisoning.

Domoic acid is a naturally occurring biotoxin found in algal blooms in the water. It is increased, in part, by fertilizers and other pollutants that wash out to sea. It remains dormant in fish and shellfish that feed on the plankton until larger mammals and birds feed on the fish that have ingested the substance.

The toxin can result in seizures, brain damage, partial paralysis, foaming at the mouth, disorientation and death.

"The outbreak appears to be a little more severe than in past years," Sciacca said. "It's just a very, very sad situation."

Test results that experts believe will confirm that the two dolphins that beached themselves in Newport died of domoic acid poisoning were expected Thursday.

A dolphin came ashore on the beach at 15th Street on Sunday, Animal Control Officer Mike Teague said. Later in the day, another dolphin beached itself off 61st Street, he said.

"Both were alive when they came up, and soon died," Teague said.

have washed up dead or dying on Southern California beaches since April 1, mainly in Los Angeles County.

"The dolphins that are washing up on the beaches are a window to what’s going on in the ocean's environment," said Joe Cordaro, a National Marine Fisheries wildlife biologist. "Undoubtedly more animals are dying at sea, it's just impossible to say how many."

Most of the ailing dolphins have died. Tests indicate domoic acid was responsible in four of the dolphin deaths and is the suspected cause of death for the rest.

The toxin was of some of the in King Harbor in March.

Domoic acid does not usually have a large impact on dolphins, Cordaro said. The last time a domoic acid event affected dolphins on a large scale was in 2005,  when about 50 dolphins felt the biotoxin's effects, he said.

Cordaro said there is no way to tell how much longer this will last. 

“This thing has been stopping and starting from the beginning," he said. "There really is no way of telling how much longer it will last. It could be over, and then again, it could go on for another month."

contributed to this story.