There is a serious problem. Something needs to be done about it immediately. And current law allows communities to use non-lethal measures, without special permitting, to disperse problematic pinnipeds.
That was the general consensus at a June 9 special meeting held by La Jolla Town Council dubbed “Crisis in the Cove.”
A spill-over crowd attended the tense, 90 minute meeting, during which animal-protection advocates and beach-access proponents exchanged differing views. At issue is the alarming spread of sea lions at the Cove, and what can be done about it.
The feisty, sometimes-aggressive marine mammals have been gathering at the Cove in ever-greater numbers, fouling its waters. So much so that this year’s September Rough Water Swim there had to be cancelled.
Sea lions also have increasingly been hauling out on the Cove beach where they pollute the sand and stairs, posing a potential threat to humans and interfering with lifeguards performing their duties.
“I’ve gotten two kinds of emails,” noted La Jolla Town Council (LJTC) president Ann Kerr Bache. “There are those who say, ‘Just leave them (sea lions) alone.’ And those who say, ‘Take action to get rid of them.'”
“This issue deals with public safety – and it’s a process,” said Kerr Bache, noting sea lions are gradually “taking over the Cove.”
“We’re here tonight to hear from all sides,” she added.
The testy crowd of largely displaced ocean users came to vet and wanted answers. They spoke their piece. But received little in the way of answers – or assurances – from public officials as to how – or when – the issue would be dealt with.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spokesperson Michelle Zetwo was asked pointedly if the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) safeguarding pinnipeds allows troublesome animals to be counteracted with non-harmful forms of deterrence.
Zetwo replied, “The Act allows for animals to be non-lethally removed if the public’s health and safety is at-risk. We (NOAA) have a variety of deterrence methods.”
Queried as to whether the public could take that on, Zetwo answered, “No, just federal or state government officials or employees.”
“What rights do we have if threatened by sea lions, don’t we have rights?,” asked one audience member.
To which someone else replied, “Common sense should tell you to stay away.”
Phyllis Minick, a member of La Jolla Parks and Beaches Inc., which advises the city on coastal parks, noted the law allows appropriate measures to be taken against other pests like rodents and insects.
Megan Heine of Brockton Villa, a restaurant just above the Cove that gets the worst of the noxious smells and loud noises from down below, said, “We’ve felt a tremendous (negative) economic impact” while calling the worsening situation with Cove pollution a “tragedy.”
Another resident near the Cove complained of its “unbearable smell” and of sea lions barking at all hours, which he described as “worse than a pack of dogs.”
Animal proponent, Shirley Hill, argued, “This is a marine reserve and it’s our responsibility to protect the animals from human interaction. They were on the bluffs and you opened up the gate and allowed people there, and now they’re on the beach.”
Nancy Lee, characterizing the Cove as a “national treasure,” said she’d like to see it “made into a federal (wildlife) park. It’s like the Galapagos in our backyard, and yet we’re here talking about being cruel and mean-spirited to marine mammals.”
Longtime La Jolla parks planner and community activist Melinda Merryweather, noted, “It’s your Constitutional right in California to enter the ocean. We’re being told it’s polluted, and that you can get rid of the source of the pollution. It’s up to you (La Jollans) to do that.”
Kerr Bache encouraged the public to email her on the seal lion issue at [email protected].