{"id":18171,"date":"2026-06-26T16:33:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T16:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18171"},"modified":"2026-06-26T16:33:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T16:33:05","slug":"whats-killing-seabirds-along-californias-coast-just-one-damn-thing-after-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18171","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s killing seabirds along California\u2019s coast? \u2018Just one damn thing after another\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between disease, pesticide contamination and starvation, seabirds are fighting multiple battles along the California coastline this year.<\/p>

Read more 988\u2019s LGBTQ+ hotline to relaunch this year. But the group that helped start it might be excluded<\/a><\/p>\n

Since March, beachgoers have discovered dozens of sick or dead seabirds along the coastal stretch between Santa Barbara and San Diego. Among them have been \u201ctremendous numbers\u201d of dead Brandt\u2019s cormorants, said Rebecca Duerr, the veterinarian and research director for the International Bird Rescue, which operates wildlife rescues in San Pedro and San Francisco.<\/p>\n

The bird rescue\u2019s centers have received more than 320 starving seabirds since March.<\/p>\n

Similarly, at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, intakes of several species of birds spiked the same month. And then, from March to May, the center took in more than 100 brown pelicans, with six dead on arrival, and 66 Brandt\u2019s cormorants, including 12 that arrived dead. Also treated were dozens of western grebes, common and red-throated loons, common murres and gulls.<\/p>\n

Brandt\u2019s cormorants and common murres are dying in droves, with increased mortality starting as early as last summer and peaking in winter and spring, according to Krysta Rogers, a senior environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Based on mortality reports, more than 400 of both species were estimated to have died in March alone, according to Fish and Wildlife data.<\/p>\n

Since April, the agency has seen more reports of dead brown pelicans, loons and western grebes, but still fewer reports than the Brandt\u2019s cormorants and the common murres.<\/p>\n

Warm ocean temperatures<\/h4>\n

Unlike the mass strandings of previous years, an algal bloom is not to blame for the recent deaths. Instead, Duerr called it a mass starvation event tied to \u201cwhoppingly hot ocean temperatures.\u201d<\/p>\n

In March, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the West Coast was experiencing a \u201cmassive marine heatwave,\u201d marking \u201conly the third time on record that such a large section of the coastal ocean has remained so warm for so long\u201d without an El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern. Things may get worse, according to NOAA \u2014 the developing El Ni\u00f1o, which is expected to intensify this fall, could affect marine animals.<\/p>

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In terms of surface area and temperatures, the current heatwave has rivaled \u201cThe Blob,\u201d a previous unprecedented heatwave that raised ocean temperatures up to 7 degrees from 2013 to 2016. One of the strongest El Ni\u00f1os on record occurred around the same time in 2015-2016, creating \u201ca worst-case scenario that drove changes around the world,\u201d according to NOAA.<\/p>\n

The recent heatwave has raised temperatures 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and, in September, the Northeast Pacific reached a record-breaking 69 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about a half-degree warmer than it has ever been. In October and November, the heatwave weakened and receded, but it has since strengthened.<\/p>\n

Fish seek cooler waters<\/h4>\n

Temperature increases can impact animal behavior. Seeking cooler temperatures, fish such as sardines, anchovies and herring swim deeper, where seabirds can\u2019t reach them when they dive for food. In postmortem examinations, the primary cause of deaths has been emaciation, Rogers said. In 2015 and 2016, the Blob led to the die-off of about 4 million common murres, the largest single-species wildlife die-off in documented modern history.<\/p>\n

However, compared to the Blob, recent temperature increases have had \u201cmuch less ecological impact,\u201d NOAA said \u2014 so far, the warmer waters have not run deep and have not come near the coast. Marine heatwaves can trigger deadly algal blooms, but, so far, that hasn\u2019t happened.<\/p>

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