Salton Sea's crashing ecosystem. Like scanning a dying roadside motel for signs of life, scientists in recent years had increasingly despaired of finding major bird life at the ever-saltier, ever ...

But when sea lions, sea birds, dolphins and other predators eat the filter feeders, they are “negatively impacted,” said the institute.

Unlike the previous three years, this year’s event also seems to be impacting sea birds, Anderson said. A dead pelican is pictured near the Shelter Island dock March 26. (Jim Grant) ...