Famous San Francisco sea lions leave in droves (Peir 39 had more than 1500 a month ago, now just 10)

[Kadie]

Famous San Francisco sea lions leave in droves

By EVELYN NIEVES, Associated Press Writer Evelyn Nieves, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 30, 4:41 am ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Two mysteries surround a huge herd of sea lions that were hanging out on a pier in San Francisco Bay: Why did so many show up, and why did so many leave at once?

Just last month, Pier 39, famous in San Francisco for its sea lions and the throngs of tourists they attract, was groaning under the weight of more than 1,500 of the animals. The record number delighted tourists and baffled experts.

Marine experts suspect the sea lions came and stayed for the food, then left largely for the same reason.

"Most likely, they left chasing a food source," said Jeff Boehm, executive director of the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, which runs an information center and gift shop at Pier 39. "It's probably what kept them here in the first place."

The animals began leaving in droves the day after Thanksgiving, almost as if someone had issued an order. But Boehm said the fact that so many sea lions stayed for so long is even stranger than their disappearance.

snip...
On Tuesday, 10 sea lions lounged and swam and dove from the docks, spreading themselves out where the animals were stacked three and four deep just a month ago. The bulk of the herd probably followed their favorite foods, sardines and anchovies, Boehm said.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091230/ap_on_re_us/us_sea_lions_disappear




FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2008 file photo, Tourists watch sea lions on boat docks at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Last month, marine scientists counted more than 1,500 sea lions on fabled Pier 39, a record number that delighted tourists and baffled experts. Why so many? Why were they sticking around? But now, almost all of the sea lions are gone, leaving the experts guessing where they went and why.
(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

[ddeclue]

1. earthquake?

[MineralMan]

3. I was wondering the same thing.

It could be that they sensed something. I imagine animals in the water feel low frequency vibrations pretty well.

I guess time will tell.

[MineralMan]

4. 5.8 in Baja California this morning. But that's unlikely

to affect anything in SF.

[MineralMan]

6. No significant activity in the Bay Area in the past week.

So...maybe not.

[EFerrari]

5. I hope not.

:(

[xxqqqzme]

7. That was my first thought as well.

My dog has been hiding under the bed lately.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Two conures were going NUTS this morning

until the quakes stopped that is...

[FreakinDJ]

2. Which way did the Salmon go

[fishwax]

8. did they leave a message? Something like "so long, and thanks for all the fish"?

I know, that was dolphins, but maybe Douglas Adams just had the wrong mammal :shrug:

[hunter]

9. That alien probe from Star Trek IV is coming...

... and it is pissed.

We really shouldn't have fucked up the oceans.

[gulliver]

10. I'm thinking shark.

He'll be full after 1,490 sea lions, but then what?

[Yunomi]

11. I saw them when I visited SF in 2001

My friend who lives there insisted I see them. :wow: I had never see wild sea lions! What horrifying creatures! Loud, smelly and rude. But hey, ya gotta love 'em, I guess.

[Brother Buzz]

12. edited posted in wrong place.

[1]

13. this is a good thing. sea lions out being lions. not hanging on the pier being sea bums...

a good thing...

[ljm2002]

14. How weird...

...I remember when they first showed up at Pier 39, everyone was flabbergasted. Especially the fishermen whose boats were docked there. They, and the city, tried to get rid of the beasts for awhile. Finally, the obvious occurred to the city: this would be a great tourist attraction. So the boats were chased out instead (not sure what the arrangements were, financially speaking, I did not follow it that closely), and the sea lions stayed and became a perennial attraction.

It was one of the only things I actually liked down at Pier 39. Apart from the nephew who was going to school at the Marine Academy in Lafayette, and who lived on a boat at Pier 39 one year; I remember the barbecues on that boat with a good deal of fondness!

[old mark]

15. because San Francisco sucks....even the sea lions realise that. nt

[1]

16. heh. you got me...

:rofl: