Dead marine mammals have been washing up along San Luis Obispo County beaches.
“I’ve only seen a handful in 45 years and never more than one at the same time,” said Richard Birch, Morro Bay resident.
Richard Birch has lived on the Central Coast for more than four decades and walks along the Morro Bay dog beach regularly with his wife and dog. “I’d say we walk this beach at least five times a week,” he said.
However, he says he's recently noticed several marine mammal carcasses washing up. “When I see four on the same stretch of beach at the same time, then I have to wonder what’s really going on,” Birch said.
Marine Mammal Center Associate Director Giancarlo Rulli says mostly all of the carcasses found at San Luis Obispo County beaches right now are in an advanced state of decomposition likely related to the domoic acid outbreak that occurred in late July and early August and are just now washing up along the shores.
“You see this one seems like it has a lot of sores on it,” Birch said.
Since July 19, the Marine Mammal Center has responded along San Luis Obispo County beaches to more than 150 California sea lions, fur seals and dolphins suffering from suspected domoic acid poisoning.
The center says the number of live responses started tapering off about two weeks ago with the center now responding to three to five cases a week.
“This is the third one and it’s so sad to see that many,” Birch said.
With carcasses washing up along places like the Morro Bay dog beach, Rulli says people and pets should never approach any marine mammal due to the risk of disease and potentially dangerous interaction.
“You have to have good recall but there’s just something great about a smelly dead animal that a dog wants to roll into,” said Daisy Werp of Los Osos.
“People are putting the branches on there to help mark it so when your dog is running over to it, you know that’s it’s going over towards that,” Birch said.
Rulli says when the center first started documenting domoic acid poisoning in sea lions back in 1998, they only noticed cases increasing during the summer months. Within the last 10 years, however, Rulli says they’ve seen the disease year-round.
If you do happen to see live marine mammals washed up on shore, Rulli urges you to call the Marine Mammal Center’s hotline at (415) 289-SEAL.
