NOAA - 1,098 Sea Lion Pups (Most Malnourished) Stranded in SoCal Jan-Mar; Historic Avg. 131
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Jim Milbury of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), based in Long Beach, said that between January and March, 1,098 sea lion pups were stranded on the coastline between Santa Barbara and San Diego.
That compares to a historic average of 131. In Los Angeles County alone, the number stranded is 412, compared to 48 on average for the first three months of previous years.
Wallerstein said call outs have dropped but biologist Melin, in Seattle, said numbers may begin to increase again. "We would expect that it might have a little lull now, but the proper weaning time is right now so normally the stranding centers will get an uptick in stranding," she said.
"If the event is ending, then maybe that number is going to be normal. If it's continuing. We would expect maybe another increase."
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