SEA YOU LATER

Five 0 the elephant seal heads to the ocean at Crystal Cove, a bright spot in a year with increased elephant seal rescues. Ruby Pineda's visit to Crystal Cove State Beach was a day of firsts. The 11-year-old Santa Ana girl had never been to the ocean or seen a marine mammal. On Aug. 2, Ruby was among dozens who cheered as a 226-pound northern elephant seal named Five-O and an 88-pound sea lion named Barker were released to their natural habitat. The marine mammals, rescued by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, were among 54 elephant seals and 111 sea lions rescued this year. Where I live we don t ever get to see this, said Ruby, part of Camp Cove, a partnership between Crystal Cove State Park and the Santa Ana Police Department to expose young people to the ocean environment. Unlike the past four years where the Laguna center spent its resources rehabilitating starving California sea lions, attention this year was on elephant seals. Rescue numbers for these animals hav100 percent from last year, experts say. Five-0 was found starving on the sand at the Wedge in New port Beach on May 6. He weighed about 86 pounds, dramatically below the ideal 150-200 pounds. Barker was found at Brooks Street in Laguna Beach on June 10. She weighed about 51 pounds 30 pounds too low. The Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles took in 8 0 elephant seals this year compared to last year s 48. Sea World San Diego treated 3 0. Last year it had 16. The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito reported 196 elephant seal rescues, the second highest in the center s 42-year history. The entire state saw' an increase, said Krysta Higuchi, with the Lagunabased center, where rescues in 2016 w ere 24. Justin Viezbicke, marine mammal stranding co-ordinator for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , said more studies needed to be done before a conclusive reason can be determined. Compared to sea lions, which are born on Channel Island rookeries in June and July and stay wx to nine months, elephant seals are on their own after just four weeks.