View this post on Instagram
New evidence has emerged as to what caused several recent whale deaths in Southern California. Researchers have found that the deaths were linked to a recent toxic algae bloom that has killed other sea life in the region.
Four whales have been found in in Los Angeles and Orange Counties this year – a juvenile humpback whale in Huntington Beach on January 24, a gray whale at Dockweiler on February 1, a Minke Whale in Long Beach on April 6, and another grey whale in Huntington Beach on April 11.
Necropsies revealed that two of those animals, the Humpback and Minke whales, died as a result of domoic acid poisoning, according to a press release from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. “Test results of the juvenile humpback and subadult minke confirmed high levels of domoic acid in multiple samples from both whales, including feces, stomach contents, and urine,” they wrote. “These findings support domoic acid toxicosis as the cause of death.”
Domoic acid is a neurotoxin produced by the marine algae Pseudo-nitzchia. This neurotoxin accumulates in small fish, which are then eaten by larger marine mammals in large quantities. The domoic acid then attacks the brain and the heart, which can cause seizures, heart failure and permanent brain damage.
“Each of these whale deaths is heartbreaking—and also deeply telling,” said Keith Matassa, CEO and Founder of the Ocean Animal Response & Research Alliance. “Whales are sentinels of ocean health, and their suffering signals a larger ecological imbalance driven by intensifying harmful algal blooms. These events are no longer isolated—they’re increasing in scope, scale, frequency, and severity.”
