Toxic algae blooms are killing marine life at record rates. Is this the new norm?

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Yeah, so I think in 2023 it happened the first time in in more of a public manner with animal stranding from domoic acid toxicosis. That's from a toxic algae bloom that formed off of the coast of Southern California. And at the time just 2023 was the worst that we had seen on record in terms of marine mammal strandings.

[00:00:22]That was beat in 25 in early 2025 by yet another toxic algae bloom that happened as you mentioned at the same time as the fires in Palisades and Altadena.

[00:00:34]That was then the worst that we had ever seen and involved more species marine life with dolphins stranding in very large numbers as well. And and for dolphins being 100% mortality of that which Dr. Rivard could talk more about of course.

[00:00:51]And just a few but is it the new norm? I think that plus the unknown that we don't know what's happening as well as a few other things that we'll get into later are going to be our new norm as we enter into a world that's rapidly changing.