California sea lion crisis lingers; falling births reported

By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A warming ocean is taking its toll on California's popular and playful sea lions for a fourth straight year, with scientists now reporting lower birth rates depleting the population, and masses of young animals still washing up starving and stranded on beaches. More than 2,000 emaciated California sea lions, mostly pups and juveniles, have been found beached dead and dying along the state's southern and central coasts since January, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA biologists believe declining births may account for the year-to-year reduction in mass strandings.

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