Sea Lions stranded with seizures in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach euthanized

One sea lion that came ashore in Newport Beach and another in Huntington Beach this month showed signs of brain damage from exposure to toxins released by algae blooms and had to be euthanized, an official with the wildlife center that had been caring for them said Thursday.

Georgia was an adult female sea lion that showed up at China Cove Beach, Newport Beach police said in a Facebook Post Tuesday. She was disoriented, blinded and had taken refuge underneath a nearby house, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center’s Vice President of Conservation Medicine and Science, Alissa Deming, told the Daily Pilot in a phone interview Thursday. But she appeared to be a “candidate for rehabilitation” at the time she was taken from the beach and brought to the Marine Mammal Center, police said in their post.

A sea lion that was stranded with signs of seizures at China Cove Beach earlier this month had to be euthanized.

(courtesy of Newport Beach Police)

“Georgia was actually in pretty good body condition,” Deming said. “But she was showing some pretty abnormal behaviors on the beach that are consistent with what we call postictal activity. That’s how they act abnormally after a seizure.”

Another adult female named “Bowman” by volunteers was found stranded at Bolsa Chica State Beach on Oct. 12, Deming said. She was dazed, confused and experiencing seizures that would caused her entire body to quake.

Bowman and Georgia were treated for acute domoic acid poisoning. The chemical is a byproduct of the algae pseudo-nitzschia australis.

When a bloom of the algae happens, the toxin it makes can accumulate in fish that sea lions and other marine mammals eat, leading to brain and heart damage. Current research suggests chronic exposure can alter sea lions’ personalities and cause them to lose the ability to navigate the ocean, Deming said.

Massive, lingering red tides that significantly damaged the local sea lion population have shown up each year since 2021. In the ’90s, those types harmful algae blooms might have appeared along California’s coast every three to five years, Deming said.

“We unfortunately have become fairly savvy trying to treat these domoic acid cases because the blooms have been becoming more frequent,” Deming said.

If testing confirms that the the sea lions found stranded in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach this month were suffering from domoic acid poisoning, they’ll be among as many as 10 the Pacific Marine Mammal Center has treated for the condition since the start of the summer, Deming said.

After receiving medication, Bowman and Georgia were placed under observation for several days. Bowman continued to have seizures despite her treatments.

Georgia also remained epileptic and exhibited a number of behavioral abnormalities, including an absence of the typical wariness a wild sea lion would exhibit toward humans, Deming said. That suggests some form of neurological damage. And if she were released, the possibility of her coming into contact with humans and doing something unpredictable could have resulted in a public safety risk.

It was unlikely that Bowman and Georgia would have been able to survive on their own in the wild, given their condition. So staff at the marine mammal center decided to humanely euthanize them, Deming said Thursday.

Their remains will be closely examined by scientists conducting a long-term study of the effects of domoic acid on wildlife. As part of that effort, researchers at Veterinary Specialty Hospital - North County in San Marcos have performed MRI scans on the brains of about 30 sea lions, including Georgia.

“It is really hard, but being able to do the research and kind of tell her story after her death is helpful,” Deming said. “We’re supported by an army of volunteers that come and take care of these animals. So they’re also kind of getting the brunt of the emotional stress of it all. It helps them too, to know there’s more being done.”