Sea Lion trapped in Bolsa Chica found its way out

Jose Paul Corona

A juvenile sea lion decided to make a pit stop at the Bolsa Chica

Wetlands last week.

Bird watchers and joggers reported seeing a sea lion basking in the

water near the tide gates of inner Bolsa Bay.

According to a spokesperson at the Friends of the Sea Lion Rescue

Unit, the sea lion returned to open water sometime Friday. Prior to that

Friends of the Sea Lion had gotten the sea lion back into open water, but

it returned a short time later. The sea lion also eluded a net that

Friends of the Sea Lion tired to snare it in. The sea lion could have

mistakenly made its way into Huntington Harbour or it could be suffering

from domoic acid. Domoic acid is a nerve toxin produced by a particular

species of microscopic algae that can cause severe illness or death in

humans. Many mammals have been affected by domoic acid and have been

found sick or dead along Southern California beaches.