The San Diego City Council will consider erecting a rope barrier for pregnant seals at Children’s Pool by Dec. 15 because many seals will be in the pupping season.
The Natural Resources and Culture Committee voted 3-0 on Nov. 15 to recommend the full council extend a rope barrier two weeks earlier than the Jan. 1 date the council previously set back on April 19. The committee was told by the City Attorney’s office it lacked the authority to change the date and the full council must vote on the issue. The committee also favors leaving the rope up until May 15, rather than May 1.
District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer said the earlier date was “a sensitive proposal” and made the motion to extend the deadline. District 8 Councilman Ben Hueso seconded the motion, and committee chair Donna Frye (District 6) also voted for it.
Former councilmember John Hartley told the panel the Children’s Pool is “a treasure we should protect” and said it offers a unique experience to see the seals, which are also a tourist attraction. Hartley said the extension of the rope barrier would offer “full protection during the pupping season.”
The pupping season typically runs Jan. 1 through May 1, and the council has previously voted to close off a portion of the beach to protect pregnant seals. Occasionally, mother seals have abandoned their pups if they have been harassed or disturbed.
A number of speakers spoke in favor and no one opposed the idea.
Several speakers said some people subject the seals to “daily harassment” despite the presence of signs telling people “it is unlawful to kill, wound, disturb or maltreat any bird or animal” on the site.
There is also a philosophical disagreement about the presence of seals on the site, as the beach was originally planned for children. Some say the beach is meant for people, not seals. The beach has been closed at times due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria from the seals’ waste.