Marine mammals mysteriously dying in record numbers along West Coast

[EE_]

What do you think would happen if the government issued a warning that radioactive material from Fukushima is affecting the US West Coast with no end in sight?

Marine mammals mysteriously dying in record numbers along West Coast
Posted by The Watcher on May 17, 2014

More sick and dying animals are washing up on the coast of California, with new reports indicating record numbers of young sea lions, seals, and other marine mammals being admitted to care shelters for rehabilitation. The Orange County Register reports that the only facility in the county licensed to care for marine mammals is now at capacity, and that other facilities all along the coastline are being similarly inundated.

The normally pudgy and active creatures are increasingly turning up emaciated and dehydrated, a mysterious phenomenon that the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center (MMC) has monitored across a 600-mile area of coastline that stretches from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo. After washing ashore, many of these sick marine mammals are too week to even get back in the water, let alone survive on their own.

"We thought it was going to be a nice calm year; in the last month it's just spiked," stated Melissa Sciacca, the director of development at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) in Laguna Beach. Hundreds of ailed sea lions turned up last year as well, but the early part of this year was mostly quiet, that is until recently. "The rescues just keep coming in at a steady pace."

Sharp uptick in injured sea animals following Fukushima
According to reports, this is only the third time ever that the PMMC has been at capacity with sick animals, the first time having occurred in 2009 and the second time last year. Like in years past, the animals being rescued today exhibit the same strange symptoms, almost as if something attacked or infected their bodies, preventing them from developing normally.

"Once we get them nourished, they do fine out there," added PMMC executive director Keith Matassa, as quoted by the OC Register. In his assessment, the sea lions' mothers may not be producing enough milk, or they themselves may be getting exposed to toxins or some other damaging factor. "It's all circling around food issues."

Dr. Shawn Johnson, director of the MMC's veterinary sciences department, seems to agree. He told SFGate.com that most of the sick marine mammals being admitted to the center appear to be starving to death, either from a dearth of available food or from an inability to capture and consume it. Either way, the animals are suffering and nobody seems to know why.

"The ones we are seeing are basically starving to death," he told SFGate.com. "It's definitely a mystery. We're hoping it's not the new norm."

Sick, dying animals turning up all across Pacific Coast
Similar events are occurring elsewhere along the Pacific Coast, including in Alaska where dozens of sea lions, whales and other creatures recently turned up dead. Researchers there believe that radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster may be responsible, especially since many of the dead creatures are exhibiting signs of radiation poisoning, including unusual baldness and skin sores.

A 2011 symposium on Fukushima radiation and its effects on marine life essentially predicted these outcomes, having modeled how radiation accumulation on sea ice might harm sea lions, for instance. It explained how radiation exposure in these areas represents an ongoing immunotoxic threat to these innocent creatures, not to mention the damage it can inflict on the thyroid gland and skin.

"Marine transported Fukushima radionuclides... may represent a new stressor to the ecosystem," reads a poster for the meeting.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ocregister.com
http://www.sfgate.com
http://articles.coastlinepilot.com
http://enenews.com
[PDF] http://www.north-slope.org
http://science.naturalnews.com

[Hitch]

What do you think would happen if the government issued a warning that radioactive material from Fukushima is affecting the US West Coast with no end in sight?

I don't think the government would issue a warning like that. I also don't think Fukushima is causing any problems here, not yet. Where I'm at, the sea life is thriving. There's a high amount of activity, we saw a lot of whales yesterday, sea lions, seals, dolphins. The young sea lions like to follow the boat, dashing in and out of the wake. We had a large humpback whale surface about 50 feet away. That was amazing.

I wonder about these reports sometimes. It's too convenient to blame fukushima. Years ago, before that even happened, sea lions started dying off do to some respiratory illness. I think it's the cycle of life, nature's way of keeping populations in check. My two bits.

[gunDriller]

Mysteriously ?


What's mysterious is a supposedly 9.0 magnitude quake supposedly creating this tidal wave - and all the buildings that the tidal wave engulfs are still standing.

[EE_]

I'm keeping an eye on these reports.
I think if people were told this might be radiation related, they would reject it and maybe even attack anyone producing evidence.
People that have so much to lose, most will throw anyone under the bus to keep from losing it. Those that were truely concerned would call bullshit on any such reports while they quietly put their homes on the market.

70,000 Fish Turn Up Dead in Marina Del Rey
Workers hauled away about 175 garbage bags worth of fish, weighing an estimated 7,000 poundsBy Kate Larsen, Willian Avila and Oleevia Woo | Monday, May 19, 2014 | Updated 1:48 PM PDTView Comments (85)

Mystery Surrounds Massive Fish Die-Off in Marina del Rey
Thousands of dead fish and other sea creatures surfaced in the waters off Marina del Rey. A bait fish expert said Saturday night’s low tide and low oxygen levels may have been the cause of the mysterious die-off. Kate Larsen reports from Marina del Rey for the NBC4 News at 6 on Sunday, May 18, 2014. WATCH http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/Thousands-of-Dead-Fish-in-Marina-Del-Rey-259709801.html


Dead Fish Wash Up in Marina Del Rey
Authorities are trying to determine what caused tens of thousands of fish to turn up dead in the waters off Marina del Rey over the weekend.

The first report came in just after 9 p.m. Saturday at the A-Basin in the 13000 block of Tahiti Way, officials said. When Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies arrived, they discovered an estimated 70,000 dead anchovies floating in the water, along with other sea life, including sting rays and angel sharks.

It was not immediately known what caused the fish to die and wash up to the basin. A bait fish expert told NBC4 that Saturday night’s low tide combined with low oxygen levels may have been the cause of the massive die off.

"Inside the marina here you have the sea walls that make it a confined space, so there's only a certain amount of oxygen in the water immediate to the fish," said bait expert Mike Spears. "It was a low tide, which means the water was going out, nothing was coming in from the ocean, so it was just stale water and they just suffocated in it, and everything around them suffocated, too."

Matthew King of Heal the Bay said the weather may be to blame.

"Warmer temperatures can create algal blooms, which will suck up a lot of oxygen," King said. "That's happened in the past, and hot weather always has been associated with low oxygen levels in the water."

On Sunday afternoon, workers hauled away about 175 garbage bags worth of fish, weighing an estimated 7,000 pounds.

[Hitch]

I'm keeping an eye on these reports.
I think if people were told this might be radiation related, they would reject it and maybe even attack anyone producing evidence..

I know you are keeping an eye on these reports, and I thank you. I think most folks would reject any thought of radiation, but I don't think they would attack anyone producing evidence.

I really need to get a radiation detector and start testing shit around here. I just see what I see. The ocean is alive and well here. I don't see any mass die-offs. I play in the ocean myself and I feel great. I fish and eat from the ocean, and it's delicious. In fact, I've never felt more healthy than I do now.

My point is that not everything should be believed. People love fear, and reading about other folks suffering, makes them feel better about their own lives. It's what I call "Jerry Springer" syndrome, put a bunch of misery on the TV and suddenly your life looks better.

But that's not reality, is it? or is it?

[EE_]

I know you are keeping an eye on these reports, and I thank you. I think most folks would reject any thought of radiation, but I don't think they would attack anyone producing evidence.

Test: Try telling a Liberal Californian their political beliefs are wrong, or Hillary sucks.


I really need to get a radiation detector and start testing shit around here. I just see what I see. The ocean is alive and well here. I don't see any mass die-offs. I play in the ocean myself and I feel great. I fish and eat from the ocean, and it's delicious. In fact, I've never felt more healthy than I do now.

My point is that not everything should be believed. People love fear, and reading about other folks suffering, makes them feel better about their own lives. It's what I call "Jerry Springer" syndrome, put a bunch of misery on the TV and suddenly your life looks better.

But that's not reality, is it? or is it?

I don't believe everything I read, or hear. All I can say for sure is, the government lies to us, the government lies to us, the government lies to us..
I think we all got a radioactive shower after the incident and probably still are.
I'm sure the ocean is poluted with radioactive material.

Other then that, whether it's hit the US Coast, or is in CA, who knows?
Worth watching though.

[Hitch]

I don't believe everything I read, or hear. All I can say for sure is, the government lies to us, the government lies to us, the government lies to us..
I think we all got a radioactive shower after the incident and probably still are.
I'm sure the ocean is poluted with radioactive material.

Other then that, whether it's hit the US Coast, or is in CA, who knows?
Worth watching though.

Cheers EE, and I agree, it's definitely worth watching. My thoughts are that the ocean is so huge, that the pollution is so diluted it doesn't even register when it gets here. That's what I hope. Look at Florida and the whole BP spill. They seem to be fine (according to the media). But no ice age became out of that disaster. I remember reports where the corexit and oil would stop the currents and send the whole planet into another ice age.

All I know is I live where I want to live, and if I die here, I'll die happy. I'm not leaving this coast. No matter what.

[Hitch]

I've been hearing this knocking/whacking sound for the past couple of hours, and couldn't figure it out. I went up on deck a few minutes ago, the winds blowing pretty good. My neighbor Rick says "hey man, that sea otter is beating the heck out of your skiff". I look at the skiff, I see a sea otter causing some ruckus, the skiff does a little jig and dance, and I can see it's OK. The otter was opening clams, using the skiff as a tool.

My neighbor then throws a piece of wood at the otter. I told him it was fine. I told my neighbor there is less than 3000 sea otters on the whole coast of California. I'm pretty honored one chose my skiff to crack open a meal and eat. If anything he probably cleaned the bottom of the skiff. I think my neighbor got the point, we should cherish the nature around us.

[Horn]

I wonder if trace amounts/slight diluted radiation may cause boom cycles once the levels increases too much then sickness sets in, slight poisoning of any ecosystem sometimes has those hyper-effects on it until a tipping point is reached.

[Dachsie]

I do not know why this should be so mysterious. It seems to me there are marine scientists who ought to be able to diagnose the cause. It is established fact that the government is never going to communicate honestly and clearly and timely regarding radiation exposure and risk. I guess the marine scientists are commanded to not tell the truth and to have this remain a "mystery."

The article is written to convey the idea that the rescue places for the animals are filled to capacity and that the care givers at those places are able to get the animals well and healthy again. But that would imply that the problem was just the animals' food and that once the animal is given quality food, and I guess some antibiotics, the animal can be released into the ocean again. But we do not know if the animal can continue to do well once released into the ocean. We do not have long-term observation to see whether the animal after treatment develops tumors or other radiation-caused disease.

[EE_]

I do not know why this should be so mysterious. It seems to me there are marine scientists who ought to be able to diagnose the cause. It is established fact that the government is never going to communicate honestly and clearly and timely regarding radiation exposure and risk. I guess the marine scientists are commanded to not tell the truth and to have this remain a "mystery."

The article is written to convey the idea that the rescue places for the animals are filled to capacity and that the care givers at those places are able to get the animals well and healthy again. But that would imply that the problem was just the animals' food and that once the animal is given quality food, and I guess some antibiotics, the animal can be released into the ocean again. But we do not know if the animal can continue to do well once released into the ocean. We do not have long-term observation to see whether the animal after treatment develops tumors or other radiation-caused disease.

Hopefully one day marine scientists will have the technology to determine if sea mammals, birds and fish have alge toxins in their blood, are being affected by oxygen deprivation, or if they have disease that's killing them. Until then, this will all remain a mystery.

I see no reason for radiation testing, because the government has already addressed the issue and has stated any radiation in the ocean would be too diluted to cause anyone harm. We're told, you get more Ionizing alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, plutonium, iodine-131, cesium-137, strontium-90, potassium-40, uranium-238 and mox fuel from eating a banana.

[Dachsie]

I see no reason for radiation testing, because the government has already addressed the issue and has stated any radiation in the ocean would be too diluted to cause anyone harm. We're told, you get more Ionizing alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, plutonium, iodine-131, cesium-137, strontium-90, potassium-40, uranium-238 and mox fuel from eating a banana.


Oh, I see. There is no reason for radiation testing because our government has already given us the truth of the matter. We all just need to move along and just accept what we are told.

[EE_]

Oh, I see. There is no reason for radiation testing because our government has already given us the truth of the matter. We all just need to move along and just accept what we are told.

Yes, don't you think the government would tell us if there's anything to worry about?

Scientist working for the government are probably busy isolating chemical compounds of bacteria found on Mars...hopefully one day their technology will reach a level where we'll understand something about sea/plant life on earth. I'm sure they'll tell us when they do. Until then, we'll just have to settle for the 'mystery' concept.

[Horn]

Yes, don't you think the government would tell us if there's anything to worry about?

Scientist working for the government are probably busy isolating chemical compounds of bacteria found on Mars...hopefully one day their technology will reach a level where we'll understand something about sea/plant life on earth. I'm sure they'll tell us when they do. Until then, we'll just have to settle for the 'mystery' concept.

Quit calling them scientists EE_, they are Marine Biologists, and Laboratory Technicians.

There's a compartmentalized difference when sending in your resume to the state.