Scientists: Sea lion death rate will stay high

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal scientists are expecting another year of high death rates and strandings for sea lions and fur seals off the California coast.
Researchers found that pups of both species this fall were more than 30 percent below their normal weight, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research biologist Sharon Melin told the San Francisco Chronicle in a story on Thursday. Melin said low weights last year led to a huge death toll.
From January through May, marine bi