"Toxic Algae Is Killing Sea Lions, Shows No Sign of Diminishing"

"A toxic algae bloom that began off the West Coast this spring now stretches from California to Alaska. It’s poisoning marine life from shellfish to sardines to sea lions, and scientists say it’s one of the worst they’ve seen.

'We’ve never seen a bloom this big before,' says Anthony Odell, a research analyst with the University of Washington’s harmful algae bloom monitoring program. 'It’s also one of the most toxic blooms we’ve seen.'

Odell is one of a rotating team of scientists who are studying the bloom aboard the Bell M. Shimada, a research vessel belonging to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the ship is traveling this summer up the west coast to British Columbia."

Christina Aanestad reports for KQED August 17, 2015.