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An endangered Stellar sea lion pup has been continually harassed by visitors and dogs for several days, and the same behavior continued today. I was told that several people tried to push him into the ocean, and that he had an injured flipper.

Conditions

Temperature: 55 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 0.1 feet.

Human Activities

A Stellar sea lion pup was on the rocks near Submarine Rock. Although signs were posted in several places at Indian Beach to not disturb the pup, people and unleashed dogs continually approached the pup.

Actions & Comments

A  Stellar sea lion pup has been at Indian Beach for several days. Seaside Aquarium was called on Saturday and placed signs warning visitors to not disturb the mammal. When I arrived at Submarine Rock to do a Black Oystercatcher survey, a woman sitting next to the "Do Not Disturb" sign told me that several people had tried to put the pup in the water, and that it had an injured flipper. I called the Aquarium to let them know, and they said they had done all they could by putting up signs. They were not able to manage human disturbance. Throughout the next several hours, there was a steady stream of people and off-leash dogs approaching the pup, approximately every five minutes. The pup had apparently been on the sand, and when I arrived, it had either moved or been carried to the rocks by the ocean. When I pointed out the "Do Not Disturb" sign to visitors, many said "Oh, yes, I saw that", but ignored the instruction. I was not able to get a good picture of the pup and could not confirm that it was injured, poor quality photo attached. He verbalized minimally in the time that I was there. Given the level of human and dog disturbance, does this need to be reported as a Stranded Marine Mammal?

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All Mile 317 Reports

Showing 8 of 16 reports

Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

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Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

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Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

October 30, 2023

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Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

July 4, 2022

SeagerG

Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

July 3, 2022

Black Oystercatchers are currently raising three chicks on Submarine Rock and birds' behavior was noted to change due to tidepoolers.

SeagerG

Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

June 22, 2022

A drone hovered very close to the Black Oystercatcher nesting site on Submarine Rock for nearly 15 minutes (definitely affecting the behavior of both parents and chicks) and nearly hit a juvenile Bald Eagle;The Steller pup was in a high traffic area and even with relocation of the sign from the Seaside Aquarium, people either couldn't see him, or still wanted to get close to take photos.

SeagerG

Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

June 20, 2022

An endangered Stellar sea lion pup has been continually harassed by visitors and dogs for several days, and the same behavior continued today.

tabeag

Mile 317

Indian Beach, Canyon Creek, Indian Point

June 19, 2022

I'm wondering if better protection can be put in place for endangered seal and sea lion pups.

SeagerG