In the last week or so, over 1,000 sea lions have hauled out on San Francisco’s Pier 39, K-Dock, the largest assembly of the boisterous pinnipeds in roughly 15 years.
As noted on the Pier 39 website: A few California sea lions began “hauling out” on Pier 39’s K-Dock shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989. By January 1990, the boisterous barking pinnipeds started to arrive in droves and completely took over K-Dock, much to the exasperation of Pier 39’s Marina tenants.
The Marina Staff turned to The Marine Mammal Center, an organization devoted to the rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals, for advice about their new slippery tenants. After much debate and research, the experts from The Marine Mammal Center recommended that the sea lions stay in their newfound home.
What accounts for the sea lion influx? “It’s really a phenomenon,” Pier 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor told the SFGate. “There are also a huge number of pelicans and a lot of anchovy in the bay. It’s like a National Geographic photograph right now.”
The plethora of food — namely anchovy and herring — in the water, and the springtime movement of the herd south to mate, has left each one of K-Dock’s floating platforms packed tight with the blubbery pinnipeds.
“It’s all about the food,” she told the Associated Press. “They are fueling up for the mating season. It’s spring. They are ready to rock and roll down in the Channel Islands, and we’re a nice pit stop with some great seafood.”
Experts say the dramatic showing is a sign of a healthy ecosystem in the bay.
To see a live stream from Pier 39, click here.
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