When he contacted the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute to report the incident, he said he was informed that marine researchers are currently seeing a surge of toxic algal blooms across California’s coastline that are known to cause neurological sickness in marine animals like sea lions and dolphins.

LaMendola called CIMWI about the incident. His experience off Oxnard Friday was the first aggressive sea lion reported to the nonprofit during this domoic acid outbreak. As of Friday, no other marine mammal rescue organization had reports of sea lion bites, the group said.