Massive Number of Sea Lions at San Francisco Pier Just Broke a Record

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While the Bay Area is full of iconic landmarks and natural attractions, Pier 39 has to be one of the biggest tourist attractions within the city of San Francisco itself. Home to San Fran's famous Aquarium of the Bay and the SkyStar Ferris Wheel, and lined with dozens of shops, restaurants, and more, Pier 39 is a happenin' spot, but not only among the human crowd. It's also one of the best places in the city to watch California sea lions gathering in the sun!

Yesterday was a particularly great day for wildlife lovers at Pier 39, as there were arguably more sea lions than people out on the pier! That's barely an exaggeration. On May 1, so many sea lions gathered on the famous San Francisco pier that their numbers broke a local record!

According to ABC 7 Chicago , Pier 39 claimed that this was the highest number of sea lions they've had hanging out together in 15 years. The marina's harbormaster, Sheila Chandor claims they've counted roughly 1,000 sea lions this week alone. That's more than Pier 39 has seen since 2009, when roughly 1,700 sea lions gathered on Pier 39 that October. According to Chandor, the lions are following their food southbound, and Pier 39 happens to be a great stopping point along the way.

Related: Pacific Coastal Cave in Oregon Is a Sea Lion's Paradise

"There's a huge herd of sea lions that are traveling south right now to the Channel Islands for mating, and there's a big school of anchovy out by the Farallon Islands that's come into the Bay," Chandor explained. The eating is good, the weather is fine, and the sea lions' don't seem to mind the excited tourists gawking at their goofy antics from a comfortable distance.

Though the sea lions will eventually move further out into San Francisco Bay, they seem to be enjoying themselves for now, and there may even be more on the way. Marine biologist Adam Ratner is pleased to see the large gathering, believing that the surge is a sign of good environmental health in San Francisco Bay . The tourists are having a blast checking out the silly sea lions, and business owners at Pier 39 are benefiting from the sudden influx of business. Good vibes all around!

The Famous Sea Lions of Pier 39

Though the sea lion population at Pier 39 isn't usually this dense, you can generally expect to see at least a few of them sunning out on the docks. According to the official story from Pier 39's website , the loud-mouthed marine mammals first started chilling out on the Pier's K-Dock shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989, 11 years after the Pier first opened to the public. Within a few short months, hordes of barking sea lions had completely overtaken the K-Dock, "much to the exasperation of PIER 39's Marina tenants," the site notes.

Mother Nature would end up winning this round, though. The Marina Staff consulted the Marine Mammal Center, who ultimately ruled against evicting the sea lions, owing to the plentiful schools of fish and protection from predators the Marina afforded the animals. Though the numbers fluctuate due to mating and migration patterns, you can almost always expect to see some lions livin' it up out there.

Want to check out the seaside spectacle, but don't live anywhere near San Francisco ? Don't worry- the Pier 39 website also has a live sea lion webcam fixed on the pinnipeds' favorite hangout spots. I checked it out today, and there's already a ton of them gathering out on the pier, even in the early morning hours . Could May 2024 eventually beat the all-time record of 1,700 sea lions in October 2009? Tune in to find out!

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