PROVINCETOWN 04/13/24 A mud splattered International Fund for Animal Welfare Team, IFAW, guides one of five common dolphins down to the water's edge for release at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown. Seven of the dolphins stranded on the morning low tide in Wellfleet Harbor on Saturday. Five were pulled from the muck alive and rehabbed before their release. Two were found dead. Steve Heaslip/Cape Cod Times
San Diego, California – A troubling wave of dolphin deaths has struck the San Diego coastline, raising alarms among scientists and marine rescue organizations. Over the past few weeks, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recovered more than a dozen dolphins carcasses from beaches stretching across the region — the most recent found Friday morning near Belmont Park in Mission Beach.
Experts believe the cause is domoic acid poisoning, a neurotoxin produced by harmful algae blooms. Clarissa Anderson, director of the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, confirmed that unusually high concentrations of the toxin have been detected far earlier than normal. “The entire Pacific, at least along the California coast, is being impacted,” Anderson said.
While these toxic blooms usually emerge in the spring or summer, researchers began seeing elevated levels as early as December. Anderson attributes this anomaly to La Niña conditions, which bring nutrient-rich, cold upwelled waters to the surface — a recipe for explosive algae growth. “It’s higher in nutrients this year than it has been in a long, long time,” she noted.
The blooms are spreading not only near shorelines but deep offshore as well, affecting marine life across vast areas and depths. Dolphins, whales, and other deep-diving animals are especially vulnerable, as their symptoms often go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Local rescue organizations like SeaWorld are scrambling to keep up. Jeni Smith, curator of SeaWorld San Diego’s rescue program, said the team is receiving close to 100 calls a day. “There are a lot of animals that are in need,” Smith said, describing a surge in disoriented sea lions and birds exhibiting seizures, head waving, and foaming at the mouth.
Unfortunately, animals like dolphins are much harder to detect and treat in time. A recent case involving a Minke whale found in Long Beach Harbor — which later tested positive for domoic acid — underscores the extent of the crisis.
Last Thursday, San Diego resident Jim Weir discovered a dead dolphin near Nahant Court during his morning walk. “I thought it was a big trash bag at first,” he said. “A dead dolphin is pretty unique, you don’t see that very often.”
NOAA has collected the carcass for testing, though results may be delayed due to recent federal funding cuts. In the meantime, officials are urging the public to report any distressed or deceased marine life to help mitigate the growing ecological threat.
