HUNTINGTON BEACH—On April 23, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) confirmed that the cause of recent whale deaths is from the algae blooms. A Domoic Acid toxin produced by harmful algae blooms is responsible for the illness and deaths of numerous birds and marine animals.
California has just experienced one of its largest algae blooms which has led to the deaths of sea lions, dolphins, and most recently, four whales that were stranded and died in Orange and Los Angeles Counties.
On April 6, a subadult male minke whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrate) was stranded, and was seen showing odd swimming behavior for several days at the Port of Long Beach.
The PMMC and the Ocean Animal Response & Research Alliance (OARRA) conducted necropsies and collected samples to determine the cause of death of these four whales.
The following information came directly from a PMMC press release:
“Test results of the juvenile humpback and subadult minke confirmed high levels of domoic acid—a potent neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms—in multiple samples from both whales, including feces, stomach contents, and urine. These findings support domoic acid toxicosis as the cause of death.
Like sea lions and dolphins, humpback and minke whales feed on small schooling fish such as sardines and anchovies, which are known to accumulate domoic acid.
Necropsy results are still pending for the two gray whales that stranded in Dockweiler (February 1) and Huntington Beach (April 11). The new results reveal how the domoic acid event is reverberating through the marine food web, affecting more species as it continues. This is the fourth consecutive year with a domoic acid outbreak off Southern California, with this event beginning earlier and remaining more severe than experts have seen before.”
CEO and Founder of the Ocean Animal Response and Research Alliance (OARRA) made the following statement:
“Each of these whale deaths is heartbreaking, and so deeply telling. Whales are sentinels of ocean health, and their suffering signals a larger ecological imbalance driven by intensifying harmful algae blooms.
These events are no longer isolated—they’re increasing in scope, scale, frequency, and severity. OARRA is at the forefront of marine mammal mortality response, working alongside partners to investigate, document, and better understand the impacts of these toxic events. We must listen to what the ocean is telling us and act decisively to support long-term monitoring, research, and collaborative response efforts.”
PMMC Veterinarian and Vice President of Conservation Medicine and Science Alissa Deming stated the following:
“We typically see mass strandings of California sea lions, with occasional dolphins, during domoic acid events. This bloom is negatively affecting record numbers of sea lions and dolphins—and now multiple whale species. The scale of this mortality raises serious concerns about ocean health.”
On January 24, there was one minke and two gray whales. A juvenile humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) stranded and died on January 24, in Huntington Beach.
PMMC frequently reminds the sea mammals human-fans that if they see odd behavior in the sea mammals, please don’t approach them as some species become aggressive. Call the experts at PMMC.
REPORT STRANDED ANIMAL
949-494-3050
By Sharon