"An inside look at the effort to help marine mammals sickened by domoic acid, a neurotoxin in the water resulting from a bloom of algae."

"From Santa Barbara to San Diego, they have washed ashore by the hundreds, convulsing and confused.

Sea lions and elephant seals, red-throated loons and brown pelicans — over the past several weeks, members of each species and more have shown up on beaches along the coast of California seriously ill or dead after suffering from seizures.

Some sick marine mammals have acted aggressively, biting swimmers and surfers. Many can be seen craning their heads up over and over again, a behavior biologists dub “stargazing.”

The culprit: a neurotoxin in the water produced by a bloom of algae."

Melina Mara and Dino Grandoni report for the Washington Post April 10, 2025. [2]