[dsafety]

While I am not aware of a report of a seal lion attack on a human, (except for me when I once paddled a zodiac too close to a rookery on San Clemente Island), the possibility certainly exists. The time may come when a hungry sea lion attacks a defenseless swimmer or beach walker. If that happens the fit will hit the shan.

Many marine mammals were hunted and abused during the not to distant past. In an attempt to pay restitution for past offenses, we have protected and coddled some these wild animals to the point that they are no longer "wild" in the truest sense.

Sea lions, and to a lesser extent seals are the ocean's coyotes. These animals are smart and very adaptable. During the last half century, we have taught them to depend on Man for much of their sustenance. Some of these animals know of no other way to feed themselves other than to take the easy meal provided by Man. These animals, under our protection, are thriving but as their populations grow, they may be thriving at the expense of other wildlife. For example, the rapidly growing sea otter population has been blamed for the disappearance of abalone along much of the California coast.

I recognize that it would be extremely difficult to get the average Joe, who has only seen photos of the cute seal pups on the beach, to support a progressive idea such as reducing their population to save an ecosystem as a whole. It may come down to that however.

Maybe one day there will be a truly science-based MLPA that looks at all the factors that influence a healthy fishery. If that ever happens, I suspect that sea lions will get a lot more attention than they did this time around.

Bob