Lighthouse News Daily

Breaking Daily News

Saturday, February 27, 2021
Log in
  • Headlines
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • U.S.
  • World
  • Latest News
    • Inflatable Greenhouse Could Be A Food Source In The Outer Space
    • YouTube for Children Being Launched by Google
    • Some Animals Produce Natural Sunscreen to Protect Themselves from Radiation, New Study Shows
    • A New Genetic Map Tracks Down Dog Breeds And Their Evolution
    • Lack Of Sleep Causes Brain Cells To Slow Down
    • Meet Lyuba, the Best-Preserved Baby Mammoth in the World
    • Reports of Great White Shark Spottings Around Wells, Maine
    • Minecraft Adds Hour of Code Designer Tutorial
    • The de Broglie-Bohm Theory Is Back and It’s Surreal
    • Could High Carbon Dioxide Concentration Make Earth Greener?
You are here: Home / Science / Guadalupe Fur Seals Raise Alarm at Federal Level

Guadalupe Fur Seals Raise Alarm at Federal Level

October 5, 2015 By Martha Goodwin 1 Comment

Email, RSS Follow
Guadalupe fur seals have been stranding on the California coast in unusual numbers this year. For over half of the marine mammals, this led to their death.

This Guadalupe fur seal pup was a patient of the Marine Mammal Center. Guadalupe fur seals have been stranding on the California coast in unusual numbers this year. For over half of the marine mammals, this led to their death.

Guadalupe fur seals have been stranding on the California coast in unusual numbers this year. For over half of the marine mammals, this led to their death.

As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) declared the puzzling event an ‘unusual mortality event’, other federal organizations and institutions are trying to take the challenge of saving as many Guadalupe fur seals as possible.

Since January, federal officials have counted 80 Guadalupe fur seals stranded along the California Coast. Of them, 42 were dead when rescue teams reached the shore. Of the 38 which were retrieved, only 16 remained alive and could be reintegrated in their natural habitat.

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is among the actors that are raising up to the challenge. When a similar mortality event was declared in the case of sea lions in 2013, members of the Center helped with the rescuing and reintegration efforts.

According to Keith Matassa, the director of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Orange County is ready to do its best to save the Guadalupe fur seals from certain death. While 80 of the marine mammals being stranded on the California coast might not seem like such an alarm signal, it should. The species in endangered and during the 1800s it was on the brink of extinction.

Now, experts count that approximately 15,000 individuals of this rare species are still alive.

“There is a chance, that’s why we’re preparing. If we did get some, as they are an endangered species, they would be transferred to Sea World’s Rehabilitation Center”,

stated Matassa.

At Sea World, the Guadalupe fur seals would receive prime care. The majority of the seals found on shore were emaciated. Death by starvation once they are stranded on the coast is almost a certainty if they are not retrieved timely. As such, immediate and attentive care is the Guadalupe fur seals’ only hope for survival.

During a typical year since the records are being kept, the number of stranded Guadalupe fur seals doesn’t exceed 12 on average. These marine mammals breed on the Guadalupe Island, thus their exotic-sounding name. Just off Baja California, the island is home to the species until they venture in the ocean in search for food.

The puzzling mortality event declared by the NOAA might be partly explained precisely by the feedstock availability. As the warm blob advances and disrupts marine wildlife across global oceans and Pacific Ocean, some fish are pushed further north or on unusual migration patterns.

The global warming of seawater is disrupting marine ecosystems, in some cases leading to high mortality events. As is the case with the Guadalupe fur seals. Pushed ashore after already starving, they can’t find food and die.

Of the 80 Guadalupe fur seals found this year, the majority were pups, according to Justin Viezbiecke, the coordinator of the West Coast marine mammal stranding department for NOAA Fisheries.

Photo Credits: Flickr

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Science Tagged With: California coast, Guadalupe fur seals, marine mammals, NOAA

Pages

  • About/Contact
  • AccomplishNow Sandra Rechsteiner | A Journey to Self-Acceptance
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Staff
  • Terms and Conditions

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 17 other subscribers

Jury to Hear Aaron Hernandez Murder Trial Opening Statements

January 29, 2015 By Janice Bower Leave a Comment

Boeing Profit Surges in Fourth Quarter

January 28, 2015 By Lonnie Davidson Leave a Comment

McDonald’s CEO Stepping Down

January 29, 2015 By David Kellen Leave a Comment

Dallas Mayor saves the life of a woman who almost choked on a piece of meat on Saturday afternoon.

Dallas Mayor Saves The Day

August 10, 2015 By Jeremy Kennedy Leave a Comment

Team Detects Genetic Mutations that May Explain Breast Cancer Relapse

September 25, 2015 By Barbara Mast Leave a Comment

We want to know exactly how deep Warcraft is compared to some of its competitors.

How Far Has World of Warcraft Fallen?

August 29, 2015 By Martha Goodwin 6 Comments

Looks like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice got a forward in release date, something that DC fans can look forward to.

Reasoning Behind Batman v Superman Release Dates

August 22, 2015 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

China Demanding Real Names Be Used on Social Media

February 4, 2015 By Adam Lynch Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • Hunterian Museum, where the skeleton of the Irish Giant is kept

    Irish Giant Skeleton Could Be Buried at Sea

    Jun 27, 2018
  • part of a Leonardo Da Vinci painting

    Painted Tile Might be Leonardo Da Vinci’s Earliest Work

    Jun 27, 2018
  • Robert F. Kennedy

    More Details on Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination Emerge (Study)

    Jun 20, 2018
  • cat and dog

    Dogs Have More Neurons than Cats (Study)

    Jun 18, 2018
  • Stephen Hawking

    Stephen Hawking’s Voice to Be Beamed into Space

    Jun 15, 2018
  • cat's blue eyes

    Why Do Humans See Better Than Other Animals? (Study)

    Jun 7, 2018
  • ice shelf in East Antarctica

    Earthquakes are Happening Beneath East Antarctica’s Ice (Study)

    Jun 6, 2018
  • mother with her baby

    Women’s Voices Drop After Giving Birth (Study)

    Jun 4, 2018
  • human evolution

    Why Do Humans Have Big Brains? Experts Weigh In (Study)

    May 24, 2018
  • Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun with dogs

    Adolf Hitler’s Teeth Confirm He Indeed Died in 1945 (Study)

    May 23, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Headlines
  • Health
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • U.S.
  • Uncategorized
  • World

Copyright © 2021 lighthousenewsdaily.com

About | Contact · Staff · Terms and Conditions · Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.