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Thursday August 1, 2024

KSBY

A domoic acid event is causing serious health issues for marine mammals across the Central Coast.

“They’ll come out of the water and their head will be going back and forth. They’ll go in circles. Just disoriented, confusion. They’ll have very hard seizures and even foam coming out of their mouth,” explained Ken Hughes, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI).

Hughes explains that a neurotoxin causes these symptoms.

“The domoic acid attacks the cerebral cortex section of the brain and physically damages it and it is devastating to these animals,” Hughes said.

Last year, CIMWI rescued a total of 97 sea lions with domoic acid poisoning. In just the last five days, 19 have been brought in.

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