Marine mammals rescued from Malibu’s 27 miles of coastline expected to benefit from new county marine mammal care center approved for Playa del Rey.
By Jimy Tallal / Special to The Malibu Times
When a sick or injured sea lion or other ocean wildlife is found stranded in Malibu, the Marine Mammal Response Team (MMRT), which works under the umbrella of the California Wildlife Center (CWC), is the first to respond. If an animal needs serious care, it is corralled by the MMRT and then transported to the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, more than 50 miles away.
So far in 2010, 177 sea lions and seals have been rescued, and the response team has been out on more than 400 calls, already exceeding the total of 147 rescues for all of 2009. Nearly all the wildlife had to be transported to San Pedro, which in traffic on the 405 Freeway can sometimes take more than two hours, a long time for a critically injured or ill sea lion or seal to receive medical care. To make matters worse, the MMRT center closes at 6 p.m., so animals rescued in Malibu after 3 p.m. have to wait overnight before receiving care.
The long wait might be over in the near future.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has given the green light to design, construct and operate a marine mammal care facility near in Playa del Rey, 25 miles closer to Malibu than San Pedro. Peter Wallerstein, director of Marine Animal Rescue (MAR, formerly the Whale Rescue Team), will head the new facility.
In a telephone interview, Wallerstein said the new facility will “help with our immediate needs for stranded marine mammals and prepare us for any catastrophic event that might happen, such as an oil spill.”
There are only two authorized marine mammal rescue organizations in Los Angeles County – the CWC/MMRT for Malibu and MAR for the rest of the county’s beaches. When events, such as blooming algae off the coast that can cause domoic acid poisoning, sicken many animals, the two centers sometimes become overwhelmed. They then have no choice but to leave sick, injured or starving seals and sea lions on the beach. The number of marine mammals in the county needing to be rescued has escalated almost every year for the past 10 or 15 years.
Wallerstein said the existing MMRT facility “was built 15 years ago, and is overcrowded. It took me 10 years to convince the federal agency NOAA/NMFS that there was a need [for a second marine mammal facility]. Two years ago, they let us put in a proposal, and it was approved. We have our plans, but we still have to go through the [California] Coastal Commission.”
The new building was originally going to be located on a portion of Dockweiler Beach offered by the California State Parks Department. However, Wallerstein said the city of Los Angeles recently offered a site in Vista Del Mar Park, a pocket park right across the street from the original proposed site. They’re now working to finalize and secure that piece of property, which will still require Coastal Commission approval, but have fewer restrictions.
No taxpayer money will be used to construct the new building, which is being designed by the Santa Monica-based green architectural firm, David Hertz Architects, Inc. Studio of Environmental Architecture, with completion estimated by 2014. It will include heated floors, an indoor intensive care unit, and the latest diagnostic and surgical equipment. Although MAR is part of the “Friends of Animals” national nonprofit organization, a substantial amount of money will still need to be raised to complete the project¬‚ – $5 million to build the facility and $3 million to cover the first three years’ operating expenses. Wallerstein said “a number of celebrities have already offered to help us, including several in Malibu. There will be several different benefits, including musical and studio events.”
Joe Cordero, stranding coordinator for NOAA/NMFS Southwest Regional Office, confirmed in a telephone interview that Wallerstein would serve a three-year apprenticeship under Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Orange County as part of his agreement to run the new facility. Cordero said the second facility will “alleviate the workload at Fort Mac; even though domoic acid outbreaks and El Niˆ±o years may still cause both facilities to be at capacity.”
He added that his agency would wait until the new facility is up and running before they determine which areas of the county coastline will take their marine mammals to San Pedro versus Playa del Rey.
Executive Director of CWC Cindy Reyes said they have not yet received direction from NOAA concerning the new facility. She said CWC was also invited to apply for the project a couple of years ago, but was unable to respond because they didn’t have access to land with appropriate zoning or required city sewer connections.
Malibu resident Marcia Rybak, former marine mammal coordinator for CWC and board member of MMRT, attests to the need for a second facility.
“When I assessed stranded sea lions suffering from domoic acid toxicity on Malibu beaches, [sometimes they’d be] in need of immediate treatment, but I couldn’t pick them up [because] MMRT was full. Leaving a seal or sea lion on the beach is inhumane and creates a dangerous situation for the public. It’s virtually impossible to have a 24-hour watch on a stranded sea lion. Even with warnings, people will approach an animal to ‘help’ it, take pictures, or let dogs and children near it.”