Large Numbers Of Guadalupe Fur Seals Dying Off In California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal officials are trying to determine why endangered Guadalupe fur seals have been stranding themselves and dying along the California coast, hundreds of miles from their usual habitat.

The deaths have prompted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to declare an "unusual mortality event" for the seals.

NOAA Fisheries announced this week that approximately 80 fur seals have come ashore in California since January — about eight times more than normal.

Guadalupe fur seals breed almost entirely on Guadalupe Island near Baja California, Mexico — more than 600 miles from where they are stranding in California.

Male fur seals can grow up to 7 feet long and top out around 400 pounds.

Hunting brought the species to near extinction in the late 1800s, but it had been slowly recovering.