‘It gets worse every day’: why are sea lions and dolphins dying along California’s coast?

In addition to an estimated more than 1,000 sick and dying sea lions, 110 dolphins have also been killed. Photograph: Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI)

On a recent morning on Leadbetter state beach in Santa Barbara, a California Sea Lion puppy, weighing about 30 or 40lbs, lay dead in the sand.

It’s the latest victim in what scientists and rescue organizations have described as an unprecedented event along the California coastline.