Hundreds of visitors to the City by the Bay go to Pier 39's West Marina to marvel at the antics of the large colony of sea lions who play happily or sleep peacefully on the pontoons. The noise they make is incredible and if you go late in the day on a Summer afternoon the fishy smell is overwhelming.
They have become International celebrities and as big a tourist attraction as the famous tram cars and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Marine Mammal Center is devoted to the well-being of marine mammals and they keep an eye on the barking pinnipeds. Together with the management of Pier 39 they have set up an educational programme to teach visitors about the sea lions and they have built a small souvenir shop selling booklets and other items to enable the project to keep going. Each weekend educational talks are given by MMC volunteers to the visitors who come along to the Pier.
How It All Began
These beautiful creatures were not captured and brought to the Pier as a tourist attraction, they came of their own accord. They started arriving on Pier 39's K-Dock shortly after the San Francisco earthquake in 1989 and at first there were only about 10 of them which grew to 50 in a short space of time. By January 1990 they had taken over the docks due to a plentiful supply of herring and within a couple of months the sea lion population grew to more than 300.
Each winter this increases to around 900 but during the summer months they tend to migrate to the Channel Islands, 350 miles to the south of San Francisco. Only a handful choose to remain at Pier 39 throughout the year.
California Sea Lions
California sea lions are very intelligent and playful, they also have a loud bark which is why they can be heard by anyone approaching the port on board a ship. Grown males reach 850 pounds and 7 feet in length whilst females can grow to 300 pounds and 6 feet in length. Those who live in the wild, such as the ones who inhabit Pier 39, can live up to 18 years.
Pier 39's sea lions are mostly male but you can tell if they are male or female by looking for the crest which the males develop on their heads when they are about five years-old. Sea lions can be found along the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to the southern top of Baja.
Sea lion pups are born in June or July and breeding takes place on offshore islands from the Channel Islands to Mexico. Occasionally they do breed on Ano Nuevo and the Farallon Islands in Northern California.
California sea lions are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and it is against the law for unauthorized people to feed, handle or harass them. On Pier 39 the MMC has Rangers keeping a close eye on the visitors at all times to make sure they do not get too close to them. They will bite if provoked and one of the biggest dangers to them are plastic bags, bottles or anything they can become entangled in.
Source
The Marine Mammal Center's information leaflet.
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