Stranding count: 80 dead mammals on Mendocino Coast beaches in 2019

Sarah Grimes is the Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator for the Noyo Center for Marine Science in Fort Bragg, and this week she presented her 2019 findings to a hometown group, many of whom had reported stranded animals or assisted in the response. As part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences, the Noyo Center’s program covers the coast from Rockport to Gualala, coordinating emergency responses to sick, injured, entangled or dead seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, and whales. Sarah also reports her findings to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose stranding program was established in the early 1980s under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Sixteen organizations do similar work on the California coast.