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Two pieces of news from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today reveal the terrible vulnerability of pinnipeds in American waters. First there came the official declaration that the Caribbean monk seal is extinct. You may not think of the Caribbean Sea as a place where seals would live, but that’s because people hunted the Caribbean monk seal without mercy until no more could be found.

The other news from NOAA, not as widely reported, is that a toxin created by algal blooms has been determined to cause significant harm to sea lions. Domoic acid is created by algae, which is eaten by small fish that are in turn eaten by sea lions. Even when sea lions are exposed to domoic acid in small does while in the womb, they develop epileptic seizures and other severe neurological problems later in life as a consequence.

What causes algal blooms? To a large extent, we do. We make fertilizers that then enter coastal waters and feed large algal blooms. NOAA, explaining how algal blooms are triggered in the Great Lakes, reports that the problem “is largely due to poor farming practices such as high use of fertilizers and presence of livestock near water supplies, as well as effluent and run-off from towns and cities near waterways”.

Take note: Almost all runoff eventually reaches the sea. If you use Chemlawn or similar services to make your grass look good for the neighbors, your decision is likely affecting animals like sea lions by contributing to algal blooms.

In addition to making toxins that cripple sea lion brains, these algal blooms often create immense dead zones as they decompose, depriving ocean waters in huge areas of the oxygen that marine animals need to survive.

Sea lions and the Caribbean monk seal aren’t the only pinnipeds in the coastal waters of the USA to have suffered. At the end of last month, ringed, bearded and spotted seals were recommended for protection under the Endangered Species Act. I explained the trouble that ribbon seals are having because of global warming a couple months ago. Ringed seals, bearded seals and spotted seals are having the same problems.

Under the direction of President George W. Bush, the National Marine Fisheries Service has already failed to meet the legal requirements in responding to petitions to protect the ribbon seal. We can expect the same illegal neglect from the Bush Administration for the ringed seals, bearded seals and spotted seals.

Pinnipeds in American waters are suffering from a combination of pollution, habitat degradation due to climate change, and politically-motivated antipathy toward wildlife. These threats are not beyond our control. We can reduce pollution. We can slow down climate change. We can replace anti-wildlife attitudes with appreciation and the political wisdom to recognize that humans cannot prosper while the marine ecosystems of the earth are falling apart.