Orange County is host to many different species of marine life, but with issues like trash pollution, overfishing, and oil spills plaguing the seas, the marine life that habits the area is threatened.
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is just one of many non-profit organizations that provide medical care to sea mammals in need. Less than five miles from the coast, the center is located in the beautiful hills of Laguna Beach.
Offering a view of the many pools the seals and sea lions inhabit while recuperating, the center is open to the public daily. Visitors may view educational resources or stop and talk to volunteers providing information about the current patients.
“We rescue, rehabilitate, and release seals and sea lions,” explains Aly Rising, a volunteer for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. “We take care of California Sea Lions, Pacific Harbor Seals, Northern Elephant Seals, and Northern Fur Seals.”
Two of the main causes that bring mammals to the center are malnourishment and dehydration. Overfishing in the Southern California region has made it harder for seals and sea lions to find food for their pups. Mother seals often end up traveling to further areas of the ocean, where they are more likely to get separated or lost.
According to NOAA Fisheries, in 2013 over 1,400 pups were stranded along the coast of California, and in 2015, the number jumped to 2,500.
“They get all their hydration through the fish,” reveals Rising. “[The mammals admitted] are often pups… so they may need a little more support.”
While the center did not initially suffer from the Huntington Beach oil spill in October, a recent admit’s unexplained seizures led doctors to question the source. Throughout the month of February, the center responded to multiple calls of seals washed up to shore, only to find them all dead.
Dr. Alissa Deming was stumped after the initial autopsies, with her best guess being an exposure to domoic acid, which is known to cause seizures and heart failure. However, the Huntington Beach oil spill has not been ruled out as of yet.
Local wildlife bird sanctuaries were actually hit the hardest with patients affected by the oil spill, but for the center, they were fortunate not to have any new admits to their facilities in late 2021.
Rising clarified that the center, “covers 51 miles of coastline from about San Pedro to La Hoya, and so in that particular area, the oil didn’t affect these particular animals at that time.”
As a 501c non-profit, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center gets 100% of its funding from generous donations from the community as evidenced during the Huntington Beach oil spill.
If you are interested in supporting the local marine life of Orange Count
y, be sure to visit Laguna Beach to tour the Pacific Marine Mammal Center’s facilities, or if you find yourself too far a distance to visit, check out the live cams of the seal and sea lion pools available on their website!
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