A CIMWI January Recap!

Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) is having a busy start to the new year which is typically our “slow season.” CIMWI has already rescued 10 sea lions since the beginning of the year. Below are some of CIMWI’s activities so far in 2026.

• On Sunday January 4^th,  Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) responded to a live whale stranding on Hollywood Beach at the south end of the Channel Islands Harbor. Unfortunately, the whale died within 10 minutes of stranding on the beach. There was no external evidence of recent physical interaction or entanglement. The animal was identified as a beaked whale but the particular species was unknown. We were able to move the animal off the beach and tow it to the Channel Islands Harbor Patrol docks for secure holding overnight so a complete postmortem could be conducted the following day. We performed the necropsy in collaboration with Central California Marine Animal Response Team. The animal was determined to be a young male beaked whale, however the species is not known at this time. Many attributes are similar across beaked whale species and the young age of this animal adds to the difficulty in identification because known attributes are not yet prominent. Genetic testing and skull bone identification will be summited to experts to help with the species identification. The necropsy revealed this young whale was moderately underweight with underdeveloped reproductive organs. There were no recent external or internal injuries present. The whale did have a few external scars and a healed entanglement scar on its rostrum. All major organs looked normal except for the liver which will require histopathology for further assessment. No other significant findings were found during the postmortem examination. Multiple tissue and fluid samples were taken for histology, pathogen detection, and biotoxin analysis. We are hoping the further scientific analysis enables us to determine its species and why this animal died while also learning more about the anatomy, biology, and life history of this rare whale.

• On Thursday January 8^th, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) returned two healthy Northern fur seal pups to the wild. We don’t rescue many of these so it was extra special and rewarding to watch these two bound for the ocean. They stayed together riding the incoming waves until they were out of sight! Both pups were rescued because they were emaciated, most likely due to early maternal separation and inability to thrive on their own at such an early age. Northern fur seal pups are born at 10-12 pounds and typically nurse for 4 to 5 months. These pups were rescued weighing 13 and 14 pounds which is close to birthweight and they were around 3 months of age. It was a rough initial 30 days stabilizing these pups and getting them to be proficient eaters. Once they got the hang of things, they started eating consistently and gaining weight! Both pups more than doubled their rescue weight under CIMWI’s medical and rehabilitation care. < #142 left and #147 right > I’ve included both the uncut video of the release and the video we created for social media with an ode to Baywatch : )

• On Sunday, January 11^th, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) rescued a severely malnourished sea lion pup with a plastic entanglement around her neck. At one point before rescue, the pup was trying to nurse from a big adult male sea lion (video). We removed the entanglement, cleaned the wound, and administered medication as well as rehydrating fluids. Prognosis is guarded for this little girl as she is severely malnourished. The positive things are that the laceration around her neck is superficial and she’s already perking up with our treatment and care.

• On Thursday, January 15^th, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) successfully rescued the malnourished sea lion pup that evaded our rescue the day before. The pup must have climbed up onto the platform under the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf during high tide. When the pup was spotted by Sea Center staff, the tide was out and the platform was 6’ above sea level. Our team quickly assessed the situation and formulated a rescue plan taking into account safety and working in a confined space. The Sea Center staff was a huge part of our rescue effort assisting our volunteers with access, strategy, and hoisting the pup up from the platform. We are grateful for the assistance and our close working relationship in helping local marine life and providing education to inspire ocean stewardship in our community. What a great teamwork and success all around!

• At Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) every rescue is a fight for survival and on Tuesday, January 27^th, we celebrated two victories. After nearly 3 months of expert care, these 2 sea lion pups were ready for their journey home! Wild dolphins greeted us as we headed to the release site near Santa Cruz Island – courtesy of our transportation partner, Island Packers. #154 and #151 both returned home! Strong, healthy, and free. These are the moments CIMWI works for and celebrates… Giving marine mammals a second chance at life!
  • NOTE: This video doesn’t have music on it yet. I’ll add it when I post it on social media later today.

• On Tuesday, January 27^th, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) rescued a wayward sea lion pup that was 1.5 miles from the ocean! This pup wandered from the ocean into a canal that leads to Southland Sod Farms’ agricultural fields. She then climbed up out of the canal, walked across the farm road, and down into the field on the other side of the road. But she didn’t stop there! She continued to walk down the road about 250 yards before CIMWI’s team caught up with her. That’s one long hike to “call for help!” A huge THANK YOU to Juan with Southland Sod Farms for helping our team find and rescue this pup! She’s under CIMWI’s expert care now!

Medical Note: 

Malnourished and severely dehydrated pups often present with dangerously low blood glucose, placing them in “hypoglycemic crisis” which requires immediate veterinary intervention.  This is exactly the situation for this little pup and CIMWI is providing her the critical care she needs.