Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Re: [californiadisasters] Record Number Of Marine Mammal Strandings Linked To Lack Of Food Source



How devastating.
 

NOAA Scientists: Change In Ocean Surface Temperatures Impacting Food Web

Beth Farnsworth, KEYT - KCOY - KKFX Anchor/Reporter, beth.farnsworth@keyt.com
POSTED: 07:29 PM PDT Mar 17, 2015 
Starved Sea Lion Pup
NOAA Fisheries West Coast
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -
A record number of young sea lions and elephant seals are stranding themselves up and down the California coast.
As of Tuesday, the number surpassed all of the rescues recorded in 2013, during the last uptick in strandings.
Peter Howorth, director of the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center, scoops up his fourth rescue of the day, this time along the Gaviota coast. Howorth tries to coax the grunting animal into a large, plastic crate.
"I'd be mad too," Howorth tells the emaciated animal.
In a span of hours, Howorth rescued seven marine mammals Tuesday from Refugio south to Padaro Creek; One elephant seal and six sea lions, each a good 30 to 50 pounds underweight.
"We put down a little note on how old they are or if there's any health problem noted," Howorth said. "If they have a bite or something like that."
Howorth roams the coast in the center's rescue truck, packed with large nets, cages and on this occasion, his dog Dotsy.
Another call takes him to the stretch of beach off Santa Claus Lane in Carpinteria. A scrawny sea lion sunning on a rock since the early morning hours. It's obvious the animal is sick.
"He's last year's pup," Howorth said. "He's already weaned but he's not getting enough to eat right now."
Another young sea lion nearby wasn't so lucky; Its corpse covered with flies in the sand.
Howorth said by the time the animals beach themselves, their bodies have gone from metabolizing the fat in their tissue to their blubber, leaving them unable to stay warm in the ocean water.
"This is the result when they get chased in too many times," Howorth said. "They ultimately die. It's like a death of 1,000 cuts."
If you find a sick marine mammal, Howorth says leave it alone and call the Marine Mammal Center's Rescue Hotline at 805-687-3255.
Howorth said a big part of the problem is mothers weaning their pups far too early, sending them off to fend for themselves before they're ready.
That coupled with a revelation from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) regarding changes in the sea surface temperature are having significant impacts throughout the food web.
Howorth said from January through mid-March, he's rescued 296 marine mammals; The total for all of 2014 was 324.
That gives you a good sense of the declining food source in our ocean, and the work-load that lies ahead for Howorth.
Source: www.keyt.com/news/record-number-of-marine-mammal-strandings-linked-to-lack-of-food-source/31857980





__._,_.___
Posted by: Marilyn Sass <paws_sassy@yahoo.com>


Be sure to check out our Links Section at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/links
Please join our Discussion Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters_discussion/ for topical but extended discussions started here or for less topical but nonetheless relevant messages.




__,_._,___
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)