SAN FRANCISCO –
They’re lounging, biting each other, and generally making a racket in numbers that haven’t been seen in over a decade. And don’t even think about stealing their anchovies.
San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf district is experiencing an increase in sea lions.
The sea lions first appeared at Pier 39 after the 1989 earthquake and have become a well-known tourist attraction. The number of sea lions (loud-barking marine mammals that can weigh up to half a ton) crashing into the dock fluctuates with the seasons. More than a hundred can be seen most days.
But this week, Pier 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor has counted more than 1,000 sea lions, the most seen there in 15 years. A huge school of anchovies, a favorite food of pinnipeds, brought them there, Chandor said.
“It’s about seafood. “It’s all about the food,” Chandor said. “A very good way to put it is that they are refueling for the mating season. It’s Spring. “They are ready to rock and roll in the Channel Islands, and we are a good stop for great seafood.”
A sea lion yawns while on a raft at Pier 39, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in San Francisco. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / AP Photo)
In fact, the increase in sea lions is expected to be only temporary. But the barges on which the sea lions rest are designed to support significant weight, and officials admit that this current increase is testing their limits.
Biologists said the number of anchovies in the bay that appears to have attracted more sea lions this spring is especially high. Chandor said the schools of fish were off the Farallon Islands.
Meanwhile, shops and businesses in the area hoped the rise of sea lions would also result in a wave of tourist shopping, bringing more visitors to the area. Sea lion lovers have flocked to the pier to catch a glimpse of the huge, rowdy pride.
“I have never seen so many sea lions in one place. “I heard about this place, we came here a few minutes ago and it’s amazing to see them,” said Theresa Simbeck, a visitor from Germany. “It’s very loud, of course, but it’s really nice to see everyone. And it’s fun to watch them fight and relax in the sun.”
Large numbers of sea lions have arrived at their dock in recent years, with about 1,700 arriving previously, Chandor said. They are usually 300 to 400 in the winter and up to 700 in the spring, Chandor said.
Associated Press writer Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.