Sea Lions Sink Boat
by ocregister.com/Sail-World on 1 Sep 2008
Sunbaking sea lions - on wharves and decks SW
Sea lions without fear of humans might entrance sailors who pass through the Galapagos, and delight tourists who see them in anywhere in the world, but the locals in California are saying 'Enough is Enough', when there are so many of them they start sinking the boats they sleep on.
Sea lions are turning into unwelcome guests in Newport Beach harbor where the animals like to use moored boats to sunbathe on. Trouble is, they're too heavy. Thursday night, the weight of a pair of basking sea lions sank a 24-foot wooden boat, forcing officials to haul the vessel back to the surface.
Chris Miller of the city harbour department says boat owners try to 'sea lion proof' their vessels by installing netting fences but the animals bust right through.
The problem has been getting worse over the past three years with increasing numbers of sea lions venturing into the harbor during the summer season. They pile on docks and bayfront homeowners' properties.
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