Cause of death revealed for whales that washed ashore in Long Beach, Huntington Beach

LOS ANGELES - Officials have revealed the cause of death for two whales that died in Southern California earlier this month.

According to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, domoic acid poisoning is to blame for the death of the rare Minke whale in Long Beach and the gray whale in Huntington Beach.

What we know:

One of the largest harmful algae blooms recorded along the Southern California coast has led to the illness and death of thousands of marine mammals and birds in recent months, the PMMC said. This includes California sea lions, dolphins, and confirmed cases in at least two whale species. 

SUGGESTED: Deadly toxic algae bloom causing sea lions to become sick, violent

During this ongoing domoic acid outbreak, four whales have stranded deceased in Orange and Los Angeles Counties - one humpback, one minke, and two gray whales. 

On Jan. 24, a juvenile female humpback whale washed ashore in Huntington Beach. On April 6, a Minke whale died in the Long Beach harbor after spending several days showing "abnormal swimming behavior," officials said.

Timeline:

The PMMC and the Ocean Animal Response & Research Alliance (OARRA) conducted necropsies and collected samples to determine the cause of death of these four whales. 

Test results of the juvenile humpback and subadult minke confirmed high levels of domoic acid—a potent neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms—in multiple samples from both whales, including feces, stomach contents, and urine. 

SUGGESTED: Dead minke whale washes ashore in Long Beach after several days in harbor

These findings support domoic acid toxicosis as the cause of death. 

Necropsy results are still pending for the two gray whales that stranded in Dockweiler on February 1 and Huntington Beach on April 11.

The backstory:

This is the fourth consecutive year with a domoic acid outbreak off Southern California, with this event beginning earlier and remaining more severe than experts have seen before. 

"Each of these whale deaths is heartbreaking—and also deeply telling," said Keith Matassa, CEO and Founder of the OARRA. "Whales are sentinels of ocean health, and their suffering signals a larger ecological imbalance driven by intensifying harmful algal blooms."

SUGGESTED: Dead grey whale washes ashore in Huntington Beach

What they're saying:

Dr. Alissa Deming, Veterinarian and Vice President of Conservation Medicine + Science at PMMC, stated, "We typically see mass strandings of California sea lions, with occasional dolphins, during domoic acid events. This bloom is negatively affecting record numbers of sea lions and dolphins—and now multiple whale species. The scale of this mortality raises serious concerns about ocean health."

SUGGESTED: Entangled gray whale rescued off coast of Rancho Palos Verdes

Dr. Kathi Lefebvre, NOAA Research Biologist, added, "Seventeen years of surveillance by NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center/Wildlife Algal-toxins Research and Response Network show that harmful algal blooms and their toxins are becoming more frequent, severe, and long-lasting, especially with warming ocean conditions."

What you can do:

All whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972. NOAA Fisheries, through the MMPA, coordinates the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network, an array of organizations—including PMMC and OARRA—to respond to live and dead stranded marine mammals and sea turtles in California. 

The Network relies on the public as its eyes and ears, urging beachgoers and others to report stranded animals to the Network hotline at (866) 767-6114.