(The Center Square) — A San Diego community group created a five-point proposal to further manage the large number of sea lions and people at La Jolla Cove.
The goal is to protect the sea lions while maintaining public access to the beach.
The La Jolla Cove Access Working Group came up with five new ways for the sea lions and the public to get along as the area’s number of sea lion pup deaths caused by human interference increases. The group’s proposal aims at modifying the behavior of both sea lions and humans, to ensure the San Diego cove can remain open without any further harm being done to the animals.
“Our objective is to keep the cove open, and that in order for everyone to be safe, there needs to be modifications of behavior, especially people,” Chas. Dye, a member of the La Jolla Cove Access Working Group, told The Center Square Tuesday.
The group’s proposal includes creating a designated viewing area to keep people off the beach, an acoustic sound system that would turn the sea lions away from the shore, more detailed signage explaining the dangers of getting too close to the sea lions, rangers stationed at the cove and multi-language scripts for tour guides to explain the rules to tourists.
The city of San Diego has already permanently closed areas adjacent to the cove to protect sea lion breeding such as Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach. Dye said the California Coastal Commission gave the city a coastal development permit, allowing them to close down the beaches.
The Sierra Club Seal Society, a volunteer-run educational and advocacy group, played a large role in permanently closing Point La Jolla by educating San Diego officials and the public on the deaths of sea lion pups caused by human interference, according to a statement sent Tuesday to The Center Square. The Sierra society then began to educate people at La Jolla Cove when sea lion pups began to die there too because of human intervention.
“Two years ago we raised awareness to city officials and the public about the nine sea lion births in the La Jolla Cove and the thousands of tourists visiting every day wanting to take selfies,” Sierra Club Seal Society Chair Robyn Davidoff said. “From human interference, seven of the nine sea lion babies died in six weeks.”
This year, Davidoff said eight sea lion pups have been born at the cove. Three of them have died, and two were rescued due to abandonment. Davidoff also said all five situations were caused by “human interference such as petting or blocking the pups’ ability to get to higher ground.”
Dye said Point La Jolla, located right around the corner from the cove, is usually where most of the sea lions breed. However, increasingly sea lions are swimming around to the cove.
“For example, yesterday there was really no beach that wasn’t occupied by the sea lions,” Dye said in reference to Monday.
The increasing number of sea lions at the cove is an issue because of the high number of tourists each day, according to the Sierra Club Seal Society.
La Jolla Cove attracts a lot of attention, with La Jolla Cove ranking as the No. 4 Best Beach in the U.S. and a visit to the cove ranking as the No. 1 thing to do in La Jolla, according to Tripadvisor. The sea lions contribute a large amount to the cove’s popularity by giving tourists an up-close and personal experience with wildlife.
When they’re not swimming in the water, sea lions lie on top of the rocks that line the edge of the cove. Some might lie out on the beach shore. As the animals dry out in the sun, tourists like to get close to take pictures.
A girl tried taking a picture of the dozens of sea lions lying on the cove’s shore Monday while The Center Square was there.
Locals told The Center Square Monday that closing off La Jolla Cove to the public would be disappointing news for tourists, but also for the businesses that generate revenue from tourists.
Residents also said that as long as the seal lions and the public can coexist peacefully, they support having them both on the beach.
The La Jolla Access Working Group is aware of the danger humans pose on the seal lions but also acknowledge the public’s interest in the cove and the marine life that live there. Therefore, Dye said, the group hopes to work with city officials to ensure their proposals can be implemented so that La Jolla Cove can remain open while San Diego protects the sea lions.
