Lost sea creatures wash up in California as melting ice caps ‘open door’ for mass northern migration, scientists believe

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Our guess is that they are super hungry, maybe looking for a little food before continuing north,” said Bill Keener, a marine mammal biologist who has been tracking whales, dolphins and porpoises in the bay for decades as head of Golden Gate Cetacean Research. “And if you have more of these extreme events, you will see an even greater rate of change.” Dr Sones and Dr Sanford, research partners as well as spouses, published a paper with several other scientists in Nature last month that identified 67 marine species now pushing the northern boundary of their commonly known habitat. “We’re basically on the front lines of ocean health, and mammals are very sensitive to even minor changes in the ocean’s health.” In 2015, at the ocean heat wave’s peak, the hospital, which monitors 600 miles of California coastline, took in 1,800 seals and sea lions. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Elliott Hazen, a research ecologist with NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Centre in Monterey, California, said “a lot of signals point to the fact there is just not enough food to support some of these sea lion habitats”.