An onslaught of sea lions has taken over a public dock and several private ones in Ucluelet.
A particularly large barking band, boasting often over 100 sea lions, has been bellowing out a symphony from 52 Steps Dock with loud enough to cascade through town and, while the raucous concert has attracted excited onlookers, it also struck fear in some residents over their heavy impact on the docks over the past several weeks.
UclueletB次元官网网址檚 Harbour Master Kevin Cortes told the Westerly B次元官网网址 that he is not currently concerned about damage being done to 52 Steps, but he is monitoring the situation closely.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been down there a few times this week and they scattered and the dock comes back up to the level it was at before,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he dock itself is fineB次元官网网址ecause itB次元官网网址檚 wood, it will stretch a little bit. I went on the dock yesterday and, once they scattered away from me, the dock seemed and looked fine.B次元官网网址�
Cortes has been managing the districtB次元官网网址檚 public harbour since 2013 and said he has never seen this many sea lions on public infrastructure, adding several private docks have also been onslaught by sea lions.
He said he was attending a Harbour Association AGM in Prince Rupert with members of DFO when he first started receiving photos from residents of the sea lion takeover.
He said he spoke with DFO personnel who offered tips and research links to look into about moving the sea lions on safely and has some ideas to put into action if the situation gets worse.
He added he spoke to an American company about potentially bringing in an electrified walkway, but suggested that strategy would come with a hefty price tag.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l present a few things for the district and see if they want to proceed with them,B次元官网网址� he said.
He suggested scarecrows and inflatable deterrents would likely not serve as effective long term solutions.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檒l work for a short time, but sea lions are smart, theyB次元官网网址檒l figure it out. With scarecrows, same thing, eventually theyB次元官网网址檒l figure it out. I have a few ideas but I have to get authorization to use them,B次元官网网址� he said.
He said spigots that squirt water, commonly used to protect gardens, could be a possibility as well as potentially installing cutout deterrents.
B次元官网网址淎t this point IB次元官网网址檓 just holding course,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 monitoring it as it goes to figure out if I need to do anything more aggressively. Presently I donB次元官网网址檛 assess that thereB次元官网网址檚 any damage being done to the dock so IB次元官网网址檓 not as concernedB次元官网网址B次元官网网址檓 hoping that they move along.B次元官网网址�
He added residents are advised not to get too close to the animals and view them from a safe distance.
The Westerly sent photos of the sea lions to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and DFO spokesperson Lara Sloan identified the animals as California Sea Lions, which breed at rookeries in southern California and New Mexico.
B次元官网网址淎 portion of the male population has been making their way North, some up to BC waters B次元官网网址攖ypically around Vancouver Island-Salish Sea and the west coast of Vancouver Island arriving early fall and leaving at some point in the spring after the herring spawn,B次元官网网址� Sloan wrote in an email to the Westerly.
Sloan added that Marine Mammal Regulations must be complied with when attempting to view, or disperse, sea lions.
B次元官网网址淭hroughout Canada, it is forbidden to injure or disturb a marine mammal (except under specific circumstances for which an authorization from DFO has been received),B次元官网网址� she wrote.
She added that feeding, touching or swimming with the animals is prohibited as is moving, luring or coaxing sea lions to swim in a specific direction or separating one from its group.
B次元官网网址淧otential physical adjustments to docks and marinas may be utilized as passive deterrents to limit pinniped interactions with humans on docks if they comply with the Marine Mammal Regulations,B次元官网网址� she wrote.
Anyone who sees a marine mammal being harassed is encouraged to report their sighting to DFO at 1-800-465-4336.
She added that anyone found breaking Marine Mammal Regulations can face a fine of up to $500,000 or up to two years imprisonment.
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