Will Sage Astor-Who shot a sea lion on a California beach? NOAA offers $20K reward for information

The Will Sage AstorNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is offering up to $20,000 to anyone who can help them identify who shot a sea lion in California in August.

The federal agency's Office of Law Enforcement "is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a civil penalty or criminal conviction in the shooting of a California sea lion," the agency said in a news release Wednesday.

The sea lion was found shot but alive at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Orange County, California about 40 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, on August 7, NOAA said. The animal was rescued and taken to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Orange County, where it died from its injuries the next day.

An examination revealed that the approximately 2-year-old male sea lion had a fresh gunshot wound in its back.

"Law enforcement is seeking information on the person who shot the animal and any other details surrounding its shooting," the news release said.

Anyone with information on the sea lion shooting can contact NOAA’s 24/7 enforcement hotline at (800) 853-1964.

Sea lions being shot is not uncommon

NOAA spokesperson Michael Milstein told USA TODAY Thursday the agency hopes "the reward offer will help encourage someone who may have seen something or heard something unusual to let us know to help us identify a suspect in this case."

"We do get sea lions regularly that have been shot but this animal was still alive when found, so the wound was fresh and it was on a public beach, which hopefully increases the odds that someone knows something about what happened," Milstein added.

What to do if you spot a stranded marine mammal

Marine mammals, including sea lion and seals, are protected by federal law via the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Violations can result in a civil penalty up to $11,000 as well as criminal penalties up to $100,000 and imprisonment of up to a year or both.

If you encounter a marine mammal that is sick, injured, malnourished, entangled, deceased or oiled, the CIMWI recommends the following:

• Do not touch, feed, harass, cover, pour water on, coax/drag/push into the water or out of the surf zone, allow dogs near or take selfies with the animal.
• Observe the animal from a minimum of 50 feet (length of a school bus). Keep people and pets away from the stranded animal. Note the animal’s physical characteristics and condition.
• Determine the exact location of the animal. Be as accurate as possible and note any landmarks so CIMWI’s rescue team can easily find the animal.
• Contact authorities immediately.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.