San Francisco’s famous “barking” Sea Lions have become one of the city’s most popular attractions, drawing over 15 million visitors from around the world. Pier 39’s sea lions are very LOUD and entertaining. They are known to behave like big dogs and over the last two decades have become quite a draw to tourists and locals alike. Fun for kids and big kids too.
Shortly after California’s October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, the sea lions mysteriously took up residence on the pier’s floating platforms. Within a few months, the sea lion population at Pier 39 grew to about 300. And by October 2009, they reached a record-high of more than 1,701. Truly a sight to behold!
And then… just as mysteriously as the sea lions arrived at Pier 39, they all but disappeared by the end of 2009. By mid-November, they numbered 927. And after Thanksgiving, there were a mere 20. During the first week of 2010, an estimated 2,000 sea lions arrived off the central Oregon Coast (about 500 miles north of the Golden Gate) and about 500 sea lions moved into the private preserve Sea Lion Caves near Florence, Oregon. It is believed that 2009’s summer El Niño along the CA coast pushed the food north and the sea lions followed. By mid February 2010, the sea lions started returning to Pier 39 (due to the influx of herring in San Francisco Bay). Numbers were nowhere near their record high of 1,700. In May 2010, about 500 sea lions were seen cavorting on the docks. By November, the numbers had dwindled again. Today, there are hundreds of sea lions and their popularity continues to be at an all-time high. 🙂