A California sea lion died this week at Crissy Field in San Francisco, thrashing and seizing on the sand before rescuers could reach it. It's not an isolated tragedy. Since late August, the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito has pulled in roughly 40 sick and dying sea lions from beaches stretching from Monterey County up through San Mateo, Marin, and Sonoma — already blowing past the number of animals the center typically rescues in an entire year.

The cause is domoic acid, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms that builds up in the small fish, like sardines and anchovies, that sea lions eat by the mouthful. It attacks their brains and nervous systems, causing seizures, disorientation, and death. The Marine Mammal Center says it's being overwhelmed: "As we are currently seeing intense surges of domoic acid along the California coast, our hotline is inundated with reports," according to the Marine Mammal Center.

These blooms are becoming more frequent and more severe along the California coast, and the animals paying the price can't ask for help themselves. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and NOAA Fisheries have the authority and responsibility to fund emergency rescue capacity, expand monitoring of harmful algal blooms, and coordinate a real response before this becomes the new normal every summer.

Sea lions are a signature part of California's coastline and its identity. We shouldn't be watching them die in front of us on public beaches while rescue crews are stretched too thin to keep up.

Sign the petition to demand the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and NOAA Fisheries fund emergency response and monitoring for this domoic acid crisis — before more sea lions die on our beaches.