Our History

Two sea lions kissing by the beach
Seal looking back to the camera

It all started when…

Pacific Marine Mammal Center began as Friends of the Sea Lion in 1971 with only three volunteers:

  • Jim Stauffer

  • John Cunningham

  • Dr. Rose Ekeberg

How it Began

  • A sea lion and Jim Stauffer

    Our Beginnings

    In the spring of 1971, a little girl approached Jim Stauffer, a Newport Beach lifeguard, on the beach. The little girl told Jim that she had seen a seal on the beach. Jim hopped in his lifeguard jeep and went to go investigate. What he found was a young Pacific harbor seal. When Jim placed the animal in his jeep, it leaped right out. Jim decided the animal must be healthy and just needed to rest, so he returned to work.

  • Jim standing by the table with the sign FRIENDS OF THE SEA LION

    Jim's 1st Patient

    Concern for the animal nagged at him all day. When Jim returned to check on the small seal, it was still on the beach. Jim picked up the seal and took it to the Dover Shores Animal Hospital, where Dr. Rod La Shell examined the animal and found that it had lungworms. With advice from Dr. La Shell, Jim nursed the harbor seal back to health and released the animal back into the ocean.

  • The PMMC team releasing sea lions

    A Growing Need

    Word of Jim’s nursing skills soon spread. Whenever there was a sick or injured seal or sea lion on the beach, lifeguards would contact Jim. Within a few weeks, Jim was caring for a second California sea lion. John Cunningham, another lifeguard, began helping Jim care for the animals.

  • sitting on the ground with sea lions and students

    New Education

    During the school year, John taught at Laguna Beach High School, and, in 1972, he developed a marine science class. One of the requirements for the students of John's class was volunteering at Pacific Marine Mammal Center. Dr. Rose Ekeberg of Laguna Canyon Animal Hospital provided medicine and medical advice, as well as housing for some of the animals at her clinic.

  • The PMMC team and sea lions at Jim's home

    Expanding Quickly

    The Department of Fish and Game issued the first permit of its kind in California. Jim was allowed to temporarily house seals and sea lions at his home. With the organization growing quickly, a facility other than Jim’s home and pool was necessary.

  • The PMMC center back in 1976

    Final Home

    At that time, the local SPCA was using a barn owned by the city of Laguna Beach. In 1976, when the SPCA relocated, the building was offered to the founders. Jim Stauffer, John Cunningham and a few volunteers began renovation of the barn that still functions as the center’s rehabilitation hub today.

In Recent Years

  • Cutting the tape to cerebrate the donation from Bob Barker

    Bob Barker Saves PMMC

    In December 2010, Laguna Beach experienced a catastrophic flood that rendered our hospital inoperable. This is when Bob Barker came to our rescue and donated $250,000 to restore our center! Fast forward to 2023, PMMC received an incredible $1 million from the Bob Barker Foundation to support the development of our new visitor yard.

  • The PMMC center in 2014

    As Our Center Expands, So do our programs

    In 2014, our center had expanded to include an observation deck, multipurpose room, new restrooms, a new gift shop, adult ICU indoor/outdoor animal pens, remodeled classrooms, and 59 solar-powered units. Then in 2016, our education team introduced PMMC’s Healing Seals program for Children’s Hospitals and Sea Lions For Service Members, where veterans assist in rehabilitating a patient.

  • The PMMC 50th Anniversary logo

    Honoring the first 50 years as we look ahead to the next.

    In 2021, we experienced the passing of both of our incredibly inspiring patriarchs and co-founders John Cunningham and Jim Stauffer. The year also marked PMMC’s 50th anniversary. While we mourned the devastating loss of these leaders, we honored their legacy by building upon their foundation as we head into the next 50 years.

  • The PMMC rescue team and a sea lion

    Domoic Acid Crisis

    In the summer of 2023, PMMC experienced a historic influx in patients due to a domoic acid bloom off California’s coast. Our team had not seen a level of patient intake even close since the 2013-2016 Unusual Mortality Event when PMMC rescued a record-breaking 1500 California sea lions. Over just a matter of weeks, our rescue team responded to over 100 patients experiencing domoic acid poisoning.

  • Baby sea lions

    Turning of the Tide

    As many sick adult sea lion patients were rescued during the domoic acid bloom in 2023, three pregnancies were discovered. Three neonate sea lion pups were born to DA moms in the hospital during treatment. All three moms were able to be saved and released back to their ocean home. The trio of pups spent a few months in our hospital before being transferred to SeaWorld San Diego’s Rescue Department where they will be monitored until ready for release.

  • The PMMC center graphic of The Next Wave Campaign

    The Next Wave

    In 2023, PMMC broke ground on The Next Wave expansion. This project will increase the standards of animal care, improve our research capacity, provide more students with access to our educational programming, and lay the groundwork for powerful advocacy that will help us as we Build a Better Ocean - one with fewer plastics and less chemical pollution. To learn more about what’s to come by visiting The Next Wave Campaign page.

A whale under the ocean
Sea lions gathering

MOVING FORWARD

PMMC was the first marine mammal rehabilitation facility in California and was established before the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. We now share the responsibility for marine mammal rehabilitation with six other centers along California’s coastline.

Check out what the future holds for PMMC with The Next Wave facility expansion.