Marine birds become a rare sight as West Coast animal populations continue to collapse
by: Julie Wilson
NaturalNews.com
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Various types of marine life are vanishing off the West Coast, some of them in droves, including marine birds, sea lions, forage fish and sea stars. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been accused of failing to recognize a sharp decline in the number of forage fish, such as Pacific sardines, due to overfishing.
While the massive die-off of sea stars is still widely unknown, researchers theorize that a pathogen may be responsible, but for the marine birds and sea lions that are perishing, a depleted forage fish population may be to blame.
White-winged scoters, surf scoters, long-tailed ducks, murres, loons and some seagulls are experiencing dramatic population decreases according to Washington Fish and Wildlife workers.
Several species of marine birds have declined over the last few decades. Scoter populations are down 75 percent since the 1970s, with murres and western grebes bordering extinction, according to The Seattle Times.
Last year, EcoWatch reported that more than 1,600 sea lions washed up either dead or close to it along the shores of Southern Calif. An unprecedented number of sea lion pups washed ashore emaciated, dehydrated and severely underweight. Many of the pups were discovered near Santa Barbara, San Diego and Orange, Calif., a region also experiencing massive sea star die-offs.
This year, NOAA has reported even more stranded pups in central, southern and northern Calif., and opposed to last year, the agency has admitted that the cause is mostly likely due to an unavailable food source. Sea lion pups and nursing mothers depend on a nutrient-rich diet acquired through fatty forage fish like sardines.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/046433_population_collapse_marine_birds_forage_fish.html#ixzz3AIQpkQXw
