More Sick Sea Lion Pups Found on Pacific Beaches Nathan Salant - Digital Journal
go to original February 26, 2015

Stranded Sea Lions: Rescuers Race To Save Pups (ABC News)

Marine scientists say 2015 could be the worst year on record for California’s iconic sea lion, the seemingly friendly marine mammal facing an uncharacteristic winter die-off that has animal lovers, beachgoers and environmentalists traumatized.

Nearly 1,000 starving or sick sea lions have washed up on California’s beaches in January and February, officials with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have reported.

That number is far above the 225 strandings normally expected between January and April, NOAA’s Justin Viezbicke told the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

...Scientists theorize that warming coastal waters have forced nursing mothers to travel further for food from their habitat near the Channel Islands and Mexico, leaving their offspring unprotected for longer periods, the newspaper said.

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