Online Class: Marine Life Rescue 101

Marine animals live in the open sea. For some marine animals, like seals and sea lions, it is perfectly normal to come ashore. The animals may be tired from a long migration, or they may want to relax in the sun for a short time. In other cases, they might be sick, injured, or disoriented. Marine animals like sea turtles rarely come ashore, and if you see one lingering on land, there is a good chance the animal is ill. Whales and dolphins should never be ashore, seeing one of these animals out of the ocean is a serious emergency and requires immediate action by trained professionals.

There are many reasons marine animals can end up on the beach, away from their natural environment. The most common issues are environmental or health-related, but there many unexplained strandings.

The outgoing tide can take an animal by surprise, suddenly leaving them in too little water to swim properly. During each month's new moon, tides are especially pronounced, and can move faster than normal.

The environment can sometimes make animals sick. Domoic acid, or DA, is an environmental toxin. Algae produce small amounts of DA. During an algae bloom, or "red tide," which can occasionally occur after very rainy weather, water runoff from land flushes too many nutrients (like excess lawn fertilizer) into the ocean. Just like your lawn algae flourishes on the nutrients, and the tiny organisms multiply and grow. The fish that eat algae can have a great feast, but at a cost; DA in the algae builds up in the fishes' blood. When larger animals like seals and sea lions eat sardines and shellfish that have excessive amounts of DA, these higher vertebrates can become sick. The DA poisoning attacks the brain and can cause marine mammals to have seizures, become lethargic, and disoriented. These confused animals can wander ashore, uncertain of how to get back. The DA-poisoned animals are particularly dangerous because of their altered mental states.

Some scientists think that military sonar pinging damages the brains of whales and dolphins. The sound waves are at a specific frequency that can reverberate inside the animal's skull, causing severe damage that makes it difficult for the animal to navigate. 

There is also a theory that marine animals use the Earth's magnetic field as a navigational tool, and when the field suddenly changes, animals get confused and run into shallow water and dead ends. Underwater seismic activity (earthquakes) may also scare animals out of their normal territory, causing them to get lost in new areas.

Unlike seals, healthy sea turtles rarely come ashore. Turtles are not able to regulate their body temperature as well as mammals. They need to live within a narrow range of temperatures, not too hot and not too cold. These animals can ride the Gulf Stream north from the Caribbean and find themselves in cooler climates in the fall. A sudden cold snap can catch the turtles off guard, leaving them "cold-stunned," unable to hunt, navigate, or return to warmer water. It is almost like being in a coma.

Health, illness, and injury

Marine wildlife sometimes suffers from getting too close to humans. Dolphins, for example, are born to be hunters, but people like to throw food to the animals from boats. The dolphins like the free treats, so over time, they lose a little of their natural fear of humans and start seeking out boats and ships in search of a free meal. Many bad outcomes can happen as a result; dolphins can get too close to engine propellers, causing serious cuts and trauma. Boats can strike a dolphin, whale, or other marine animal, causing serious injury or death. If the vessel is a fishing boat, the animals can be tangled up in fishing nets, or injured by fishhooks. Even though they are not the intended catch, dolphins can end up injured or dead when they get too close to fishermen.

Unfortunately, the occasional human has decided to fire a gun at the animals, causing life threatening injuries.

How to spot a stranded animal

Not all animals on the beach are in distress. It is normal for seals and sea lions to come ashore to rest. Some types of seals can spend several days ashore without any problems. If you approach a healthy animal in an attempt to "save" it, the animal could get so scared that it hurts itself in an effort to get away. For example, if it is poised on top of an outcropping of rocks, and you try to get too close, it could leap without looking and get severely banged up in the process. Healthy wild animals are always better off left alone. If the animal is tired, trying to catch it and return it to the water can just make its exhaustion worse. Unnecessary interaction with humans can cause undue stress or make the animal too comfortable around people, which is not always a good thing.

Animals swimming or moving around on the beach, eating, or playing with one another are probably healthy. Even sick animals will try to hide their signs of distress; because as wild animal being the weak one makes you a target for predators. As an observer, you can watch the animal for several minutes and make notes about the animal's behavior in case you do need to call for help.

Signs of distress

• Excessive thinness. If you can see the animal's ribs, or if he appears to have loose, flappyskin that seems too big for its body, the animal is probably malnourished.
• Respiratory issues. Just like a person, if an animal is coughing, wheezing, or having difficulty breathing; it is a sign of trouble. An animal with visible mucus draining from its nose or eyes is probably sick.
• Listlessness. An animal that is lying very still could just be sleeping. It could be exhausted from weathering a rough storm at sea. However, if it has other symptoms like excessive thinness, wheezing, or disorientation, the animal is probably sick.
• Aggression. Consider how you feel when you are sick. If you are tired, hungry, have a really bad headache, stomach ache, and generally feel poorly, you would not take kindly to strangers coming into your bedroom repeatedly, prodding you, and asking if you are okay. You might snap at the strangers who came to help you. In the same way, wounded animals can be cranky.
• Poor posture. A seal on its belly propped up on its flippers and looking around is probably fine, but a seal or sea lion flat on its side or its back is probably sick.