Boat ride for birds following the Blob

First detected in late 2013, what’s being called “the Blob” is a mass of warm water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of North America. This phenomenon was expected to continue throughout 2015, and it has persisted to date with average temps nearly five degrees above normal. In contradiction to the extraordinary fishing in Southern California near and offshore fisheries, the warm waters of the Blob are nutrient-poor and have adversely affected marine life in the Pacific.

Among the negative impacts on sea life, salmon catches in 2015 have dropped as the fish migrated away to preferable feeding grounds, thousands of sea lion pups are starving in California, and large numbers of Cassin’s auklets in Oregon have died due to lack of prey. Marine life, such as thresher sharks, skipjack tuna, and ocean sunfish that are usually found in warmer southeastern Pacific waters, have been seen as far north as Alaska where they have never been seen before. Also never witnessed: a dead sooty storm-petrel, a species of seabird more native to North Asia and Hawaii, along with several brown boobies found at the Farallon Islands off San Francisco.

In keeping up with recording seabird activity, especially looking for the unusual sightings that are connected to the Blob, the 85-foot vessel Grande out of Point Loma Sportfishing has been chartered by the Buena Vista Audubon Society for occasional birding trips to offshore banks and islands. Their next trip is to the Coronado Islands and out to the 7 Mile Bank this Saturday, November 7, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Along with the usual California sea lions and harbor seals, passengers can expect to see the brown booby colony on the islands, where there are large numbers of roosting brown pelicans, cormorants, and gulls.