A massive herd of sea lions tumbled down the shore of a California harbor last week, a video shows. The video, taken by marine wildlife videographer Evan Brodsky last week and published by the Weather Channel, shows thousands of sea lions creating an “avalanche” down Monterey Harbor.
Lisa Uttal, a marine biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, described the video as “horrific.” She told SFGATE the animals may have been disturbed by someone or something and that it’s not typical for them to topple over.
During the day, Uttal said the animals are usually relaxing calmly onshore.
“They’re resting and collecting their energy so that they can go offshore and feed on the anchovies or even deeper fish,” she said.
Though Uttal said sea lions have been congregating around Monterey since the 1990s, many more of the animals have been flocking to the area in recent months. In August, a popular beach in Monterey closed after a massive group of sea lions congregated on the sand.
Nicholas Rahaim, a spokesperson for the NOAA, told SFGATE that the increase is a new trend, specifically in the Monterey Harbor. He said the animals typically choose to congregate where there is “abundant food.”
“This is new, but there’s always been sea lions around Monterey,” he said. “It’s just they decided to come inside the harbor and congregate onshore in ways they hadn’t before.”
The sea lion population has rebounded since 1975 because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Under the law, it’s illegal to capture, kill or harass sea lions and other mammals.
Rahaim said the population rebound is a “conservation success story.” But with more sea lions on the coastline, there’s more chances for human interaction, he added.
In October, a man was caught on video erratically whipping sea lions at Monterey Harbor, causing a similar stampede of the animals.
Rahaim said the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement has not received any reports of harassment or disturbance tied to last week’s video.
Uttal said the public should remember to give the animals space. Under the protection act, people are required to stay at least 50 feet away from sea lions.
“Over time, if you’re disrupting the behavior of this organism, you’re affecting how well they get their food,” she said.