Blue is the New Green...Happy Earth-(to)Day and tomorrow

Watch our latest VIDEO now..  Keepin' it Clean

Are You Concerned About our Oceans? Have you seen something that motivates you to get involved  with any of the effective organizations that work day in and day out, monitoring conditions and drafting legislations to stop pollution and the ravages it causes.

Tell us here at SurfMonk. We want to hear you story.

Yesterday, while walking on the beach south of Paradise Cove with our eldest daughter, we came across a massive sea lion. She ( a guess) looked like she was basking in the fading afternoon light, nose lifted to the air with an elegant attitude. But upon close inspection, we saw that she was in distress, able to lift her huge girth, but not to proplel herself. Her bark was a plaintive call. A wave came and sucked her out to sea, and her form took on the appearence of a bag a rubbish with live animals trying to get out- flippers akimbo, flopping over and over- something obviously terribly wrong. Once she eventually got into the sea, she looked like whe would be able to swim away- but she was too weak, and came back to shore with the next set...not as gracefully as she would derserved...dragging herself up with all her remaining strength.

What is happening to the great seal lions? Why have so many been dying in this last season? For answers to this and other pressing questions, we can turn to our friends at Heal the Bay.   www.healthebay.org

Since March, marine mammal and seabird strandings and deaths off the Southern California coast have increased markedly. These incidences have been linked to the recent and dramatic increase of a naturally occurring toxin produced by algae.

Domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin, is produced by microscopic algae and builds up in the tissue of fish and shellfish. Domoic acid poisoning results when high concentrations of the toxin are ingested by predator marine mammals, such as sea lions and dolphins along with seabirds, which feed on these fish and shellfish.

Domoic acid is a neurotoxin and poisoning can cause disorientation, seizures, and at high concentrations, even death.  Although domoic acid has not been definitively linked to all the recent marine deaths, many of the dead animals have tested positive for the toxin.

In some cases, sea lions and seabirds can be treated for the poisoning. If you encounter a stranded animal, please contact the Marine Mammal Care Center (310-548-5677), the Bird Rescue Center (310-514-2573), or the Whale Rescue Team (800-39-WHALE). Please call theLos Angeles Deptartment of Beaches and Harbors (or similar agency for your county) if you encounter a dead animal at 310-305-9503.

This month,and through May 21, in honor of Earth Day, we are proud to show our support for Heal The Bay. SURFMONK is offering 15% discount, and  giving an additional  5% of every purchase that uses the code HTB2010 at checkout.

The work is never done...stay vigilant, and look out for Mother Ocean!

California sea lion suffering from domoic acid poisoning. Photo: Jonathon Alcorn / Whale Rescue Team