The Pacific Marine Mammal Center: Organization Spotlight

By Colton Ettwein

Pacific Marine Mammal Center, located in Laguna Beach, CA, works to improve the lives of animals in our waters. Although the organization is authorized by the state of California to respond to seals, sea lions, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles, the PMMC mainly focuses on the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of seals and sea lions. Through their rehabilitation efforts, researchers working at PMMC have been able to investigate the impacts of several different environmental factors including Domoic Acid and overfishing. 

How it works:

PMMC will receive a call that a sea lion or seal appears to be ill and will respond to the scene. Sea lions and seals exit the water and rest on land when they are both healthy and ill; PMMC staff are trained to identify symptoms of illness in these animals and will make the decision as to whether they need to be rescued or not. If the animal does, then it will be transported to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center itself in Laguna Canyon, where procedures will take place. The organization states on their website that most animals admitted are severely dehydrated, and as a result, many are tube fed before full sized fish are gradually reintroduced into their diet. Once the animal has reached full strength again and is able to compete for food effectively, it will be released back into the wild. Releases are scheduled by the organization and dates to attend can be seen at pacificmmc.org. Releases take place on beaches across Orange County, one of which being Aliso Beach in Laguna. Visit their website to buy a Release Pass!

Research and Scientific Method:

While PMMC works to rehabilitate seals that are ill, they also place equal importance on researching the causes of their illness and how to prevent it in the future. The organization’s website shows their six most researched topics: improving human interactions with the environment (fisheries), assessment of whale and dolphin health, Climate Change’s impacts on our marine ecosystem, effects of single use plastics and microplastics on the marine environment, effects of DDT and Sea Lion cancer on Southern California’s coastline, and lastly the effects of Domoic Acid on marine mammals and public health. In addition to these topics, PMMC tags their released sea lions in order to identify them and gain a better understanding of the animals’ migration patterns. More information about each of these different topics can be found on their website under the research section!

Ways to Support:

Pacific Marine Mammal Center has as many as 20 patients in rehabilitation at one time! Although this is great, feeding this many large animals is not cheap, much less running clean water to the pools in the animal’s rehab areas. In order to help cover these funds, PMMC offers several different clubs with different levels of fundraising required to join. Members receive exclusive discounts to the website, tickets to the releases, and other benefits. Funds from each club membership go to a different part of a patient’s journey at PMMC, finer details of this breakdown can be viewed on the “ways to help” tab of their website, where tickets to watch releases along with other funding opportunities are available. 

Overall, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center is an amazing organization. From rescuing and rehabilitating pinnipeds to conducting research and educating others on our environment, the organization does it all. Whether you are passionate about protecting the environment and the animals that live in it or simply interested in marine life in general, PMMC is worth checking out. Although you cannot currently visit the physical facility in Laguna Canyon, as they are undergoing a complete remodel as part of their Next Wave Campaign, you can get involved or contact them on the PMMC website.