Sea lions on the California coast are displaying strange behavior likely due to a harmful algae bloom impacting the region, according to marine researchers.

When he contacted the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute to report the incident, he said he was informed that marine researchers are currently seeing a surge of toxic algal blooms across California’s coastline that are known to cause neurological sickness in marine animals like sea lions and dolphins.

A marine rescuer tells us the animals are being poisoned by a harmful algal bloom offshore from Southern California. Scientists say more frequent blooms are fueled by changing ocean conditions and nutrient pollution made worse by an increasingly warmer atmosphere.