Domoic acid found in sea otter.

When the staff at the Marine Mammal Center received a call about a sluggish sea otter hanging out at the trail leading down to Mavericks Beach they knew something was up.

“It’s very unusual for a sea otter to be out of the water and on the beach,” said Dr. Shawn Johnson who serves as the director of veterinary science for the center. “He was lethargic and not moving away from people.”