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The Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Crescent City is being inundated with stranded or abandoned northern elephant seal pups, with 15 coming in since the beginning of the month -- a 30-year record for the center, according to medical director Dennis Wood.

Wood said the pups coming to them were born in December and January and weigh around 70 to 80 pounds, or what they were at birth. He added that they should be closer to 200 to 300 pounds at this point, but it is not abnormal to see a weight of around 120 to 150 pounds.

”The weaners -- as they're called after leaving their mothers -- use the fat storage they've built up while they're learning to fish and become self-sufficient,” Wood said. “To see this many pups at such a low weight either means there isn't enough food, or the pups aren't being thrifty in learning to feed.”

Dawn Goley, coordinator of Humboldt State University's Marine Mammal Stranding Program, said this is the peak of pupping season -- which lasts for about four to six weeks. Goley added that the number of strandings, if increased, could simply be because more seals are being born.

”The stranding program I work with deals with dead strandings, and we haven't had an increase of those,” Goley said. “If those found stranded are emaciated, it could mean that there's not enough food, and if they're sick, there could be something wrong with the ocean's processes.”

Wood said the pups at the center will undergo a rehabilitation process that includes lab work and being taught how to be self-sufficient.

”We get them to the weight they need to be, and release them once they're ready,” Wood said. “With the food source not there for them, they get weak and wash up on the beach. Right now, the pups are sick, and we've already lost one. It all boils down to starvation.”

With fish at $1 per pound, it costs about $15 a day to feed one pup.

”These guys are tremendously expensive to feed, and they are only going to get bigger while we're nursing them back,” Wood said. “To help with the costs, you can adopt a pup or donate money to the center while they're here.”

Goley said tracking the number of stranded dead seals is important because an increase in mortality rates along the coast could mean an unusual event, which could be a reflection of changes in the ocean environment. She added that the community is great at reporting possible strandings, but it is important to note that just because a seal pup is alone on the beach, does not necessarily mean it is abandoned.

”It's important not to disturb or move them because the mother could just be feeding, and will come back to that spot for it,” Goley said. “If the pup has been moved, that's when they're really are separated.”

Melissa Simon can be reached at 441-0508 or