By Paul Lebowitz

As the sea lion population continues to rise, clashes with anglers are becoming all too common

Mike Gruen didn’t see trouble coming. His boat was on a trailer at the Dana Landing launch ramp in Mission Bay, San Diego, in water no more than 16 inches deep. Gruen was on the boat standing next to the console and happily showing off the white seabass he’d caught earlier that day on light 12-pound test line. He was proud of the catch; the fish had bottomed out Gruen’s 30-pound spring scale.

Earlier, when Gruen motored up to the ramp, he’d noticed a big sea lion milling around the landing. What Gruen didn’t know is that sea lion had spotted the plump treat on his boat.

DOGS WITH BITE? – As the sea lion population continues to rise, the protected marine mammals are increasingly coming into conflict with people. USFWS PHOTO

“I was showing my white seabass to the guys on ramp. I had one hand in the gill plate through the mouth. The fish’s tail was hanging over the rail maybe 6 inches, and then boom!” said Gruen. The sea lion lunged up the ramp and grabbed the tail of the fish. Gruen found himself in a tug of war with a powerful animal that outweighed him many times over.

“I was almost pulled off the boat. I held on to the fish for ten seconds, probably less. The mouth was completely ripped off the fish,” said Gruen, whose hand was bloodied by the white seasbass’ sharp gill raker.

“I didn’t have a chance. I kinda’ got robbed,” said Gruen.

Once a rarity, unpleasant clashes with aggressive sea lions seem to be becoming more common. Sea lions have been protected since 1972 along with dolphins, whales, sea otters, and seals by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The MMPA explicitly prohibits the take of marine mammals, defined as any attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill. Deterrence of problem sea lions is limited to non-harmful methods such as noise makers and the spray from high pressure water hoses. With nothing to fear from humans, some of the smart, adaptable pinnipeds have become dangerously aggressive.    
 
This May, a sea lion attacked Tawny Houston without provocation as she walked along a dock at the Berkley Marina, seizing her calf and tearing out a chunk of flesh that northern California sportfishing paper FishSniffer reported was the size of a half dollar and ¾ of an inch deep. Houston required medical attention.

In May 2004, according to a report in the Anchorage Daily News, a 1,200 to 1,500 pound sea lion grabbed Ray Dushkin Jr. by the seat of his pants and pulled the 19-year old off a fishing boat and into the waters of King Cove, Alaska. After being held beneath the surface for a few moments, Dushkin, who escaped with a gash on his backside, was released. Other documented attacks have taken place in Cayucos and Santa Barbara, California. So far, no serious injuries have been reported.

Direct attacks on humans are the most alarming examples of sea lion aggression. Far more common are other, less spectacular problems familiar to many boat owners and most saltwater anglers. Boats in Newport Harbor, San Francisco Bay, and most infamously in Monterey Bay have been fouled and even sunk by the animals, which find them to be comfortable haul-outs.

In a case pitting one protected animal against another, sea lions have staked out fish ladders used by endangered salmon and steelhead on their spawning runs, decimating the hapless fish at places such as Seattle’s Ballard Locks. Frustrated wildlife managers, hands tied by the strictures of the MMPA, have struggled to find non-lethal methods to deter the crafty sea dogs. Sea lions can clearly recognize easy pickings, as many an angler can attest.

This spring a La Jolla kayak fisherman who foolishly left a tethered yellowtail dangling in the water was overturned when a sea lion hijacked his catch. At times, sea lions so bedevil sportfishing boats that scarcely a hooked fish can be successfully brought to the rail.

According to Brent Stewart, a Senior Researcher with the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute, the population of sea lions has soared since the 1960s. It continues to grow apace, with approximately 30,000 pups birthed every year on San Miguel, San Nicolas, and other islands off the shores of California and Baja, Mexico.    

“There are more animals, becoming bolder and more used to humans,” said Stewart, who explained that sea lions become quickly accustomed to the management methods permitted by the MMPA.

Sea lions show a wide range of behaviors. Stewart said just a few rogue individuals, very belligerent and aggressive, are likely the source of most sea lion – human clashes.

Bob Fletcher, the President of the Sportfishing Association of California, attributed the rise in problem sea lion encounters to the unprecedented success of the MMPA. “Populations of marine mammals are very healthy and robust, creating real problems for the fishing industry,” said Fletcher.

“The federal government is responsible for where we are. They should be responsible for providing relief for the success of Act,” said Fletcher, who is lobbying Congress to appropriate funds to fuel research into effective, non-lethal sea lion deterrents. Fletcher said the private sector alone can’t solve the puzzle due to the opposition of some in the environmental community.

“We can put manned spaceships on the moon and we can send craft to Mars but we haven’t been able to develop a simple deterrent device so we can coexist,” said Fletcher.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is developing regulations for legally deterring problem marine mammals. In the meantime, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, responsible for enforcing the MMPA, published interim guidelines on their Southwest Regional Office, Protected Resources Division website in May 2006.

Anglers and boat owners should be cautious in applying the new NOAA guidelines, which permit physical contact deterrents such as slingshots and paintball guns as well as visual repellents and noise makers such as pyrotechnics and starter pistols. The list of caveats and cautions is longer, including warnings that some of the recommended methods may not be legal in certain local or state jurisdictions or might even be dangerous. Deterrence methods that penetrate or tear the skin or rupture an eye could lead to prosecution.

If anglers cannot be confident they stand on firm ground with the new NOAA guidelines, at least they can be certain they can do their part in another simple way. Think twice about throwing that leftover bait to the ‘dogs.’ Not only is it illegal, it trains sea lions to see anglers and boats as food sources. It’s a mistake the disappointed Gruen will never make again.