La Jolla Parks and Beaches (LJPB), which makes land-use recommendations on coastal parks, has received a reply from the city to a letter it sent in April listing concerns and recommendations as to what could be done to curb the burgeoning Cove sea lion population.
The number of Cove sea lions has been swelling for at least the past couple of years, with the marine mammals becoming increasingly more aggressive, as well as more territorial, according to swimmers and other Cove users.
More recently, the lions have been congregating more on the Cove beach, with some of them making their way up and fouling the ungated Cove stairs with their waste, which has become a public health hazard.
In a letter replying to LJPB dated July 1, Herman D. Parker, the city’s Park and Recreation director, said, “The list of potential solutions is constrained by a host of regulatory, environmental and practical considerations. Public safety and the enjoyment of the beaches is a priority for the city, and we continue to address these issues to the best of our abilities, and with the constraints of our resources and the law.”
Parker’s letter included responses to the following points raised by LJPB:
• Installing a gate mechanism at the stairways to the Cove has resource, design and regulatory challenges.
• Building a gate preventing sea lion intrusion would require the designing of a capital improvement that is beyond the city’s sole-permitting authority.
• Cleanup of sea lion feces from the area continues to be performed by Park and Rec staff within the limitations of our existing resources.
• The city does not have equipment or staffing required to perform beach cleaning at the Cove beyond that of the tidal flow.
• The city has hired Hanan and Associates Inc. to monitor the Cove’s sea lion population. Additionally, funding was allocated in the city’s FY 2015-16 budget to begin work to develop a coastal marine life management plan for the area that will address the interaction of people, animal and marine life. The activity of sea lions will be part of that plan.
• Any bluffside or off-shore construction would be subject to local, state and federal regulations that would require thorough review and permitting processes. There are concerns that construction of a (new) barrier along the bluffs may have the effect of moving more of the animals onto the beach at the Cove.
• Application of microbial spray to bluff areas to mitigate odors will continue.
• There is a strict prohibition against any form of discharge into the waters surrounding the Cove and bluffs. Spraying or washing activities that would drain to this ocean area are not permitted.
LJPB will next meet 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24 at La Jolla Rec Center, 615 Prospect St. LJPB chair Dan Allen said that agenda will address the sea lion situation, and include further discussion of the contentious issue of Coast Walk parking.