
The New York Times: 2,000 Sea Lions Roamed, Just to Make This Dock Their Home
Published by The New York Times: May 30, 2024
The number of visitors to San Francisco has not rebounded to its prepandemic level — not among humans, anyway. Sea lions, on the other hand, are swimming to the city in higher numbers than ever recorded.
This week, sea lion counters — yes, they exist — tallied 2,000 of the whiskered, blubbery creatures in the water alongside Pier 39 on the city’s northern edge. That’s 600 more than the previous record of 1,400 set in the early 1990s, according to Sheila Chandor, who has been the harbor master at Pier 39 since 1985.
We have been truly overrun.
“They’re not buying the doom loop!” Ms. Chandor said with a laugh, referring to the theory circulated by detractors that San Francisco is on the verge of ruin. “We have been truly overrun.”
The greatest threats to marine mammals are caused by people, but we can also be their greatest champions.
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{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/California sea lion\/cropped-images\/pier-39-shutterstock-10-0-4328-3380-1604430869.jpg","alt":"sea lions at PIER 39","title":"NPR: A Seafood Bounty Lures Sea Lions to S.F.'s PIER 39 in Numbers Not Seen in 15 Years","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/npr-a-seafood-bounty-lures-sea-lions-to-sfs-pier-39-in-numbers-not-seen-in-15-years","label":"In the News","date":"2024-05-04 02:00:00","type":"news"}

NPR: A Seafood Bounty Lures Sea Lions to S.F.'s PIER 39 in Numbers Not Seen in 15 Years
May 4, 2024
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Releases\/cropped-images\/es-and-csl-at-release-by-joanne-lasnier-c-the-marine-mammal-center-218-0-3804-2971-1700180094.jpg","alt":"An adult elephant seal and two California sea lions approach the water's edge","title":"Seal vs. Sea Lion: Your Guide to Knowing the Difference","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/seal-vs-sea-lion-your-guide-to-knowing-the-difference","label":"News Update","date":"2023-11-28 01:00:00","type":"news"}

{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Harbor seal\/cropped-images\/harbor-seals-shutterstock-307-0-4076-3184-1645666025.jpg","alt":"group of harbor seals on a beach","title":"ABC7: You Might Be Unintentionally Harming Young Marine Mammals, Rescue Center Says","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/abc7-you-might-be-unintentionally-harming-young-marine-mammals-rescue-center-says","label":"In the News","date":"2024-04-25 02:00:00","type":"news"}

ABC7: You Might Be Unintentionally Harming Young Marine Mammals, Rescue Center Says
April 25, 2024
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{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/cropped-images\/hs-group-with-hats-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-34-0-1270-992-1750873865.jpg","alt":"Four harbor seals with small ID tags on their heads swim in a rehabilitation pool.","title":"How Our Patients are Named and Identified","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/how-our-patients-are-named-and-identified","label":"Patient Update","date":"2025-06-26 02:00:00"}

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Los Angeles Times: The numbers of gray whales migrating along the California coast continue to plummet
June 25, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Harbor seal\/cropped-images\/harbor-seal-pup-photo-by-Ruvim-Miksanskiy-251-0-1270-992-1750880392.jpg","alt":"Harbor seal pup resting on the beach","title":"ABC7 San Francisco: Animal trauma could be linked to bad human behavior, Bay Area marine mammal experts say","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/abc7-san-francisco-animal-trauma-could-be-linked-to-bad-human-behavior-bay-area-marine-mammal-experts-say","label":"In the News","date":"2025-06-24 02:00:00"}

ABC7 San Francisco: Animal trauma could be linked to bad human behavior, Bay Area marine mammal experts say
June 24, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/People\/Action\/Response\/cropped-images\/mbo-crew-es-rope-rescue-photo-by-lesley-simms-c-the-marine-mammal-center-2-0-0-1270-992-1749571082.jpg","alt":"MBO crew carrying a crate up a cliff","title":"The Marine Mammal Center reports high levels of marine mammal disturbance in Central and Northern California for third year in a row","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/the-marine-mammal-center-reports-high-levels-of-marine-mammal-disturbance-in-central-and-northern-california-for-third-year-in-a-row","label":"Press Release","date":"2025-06-10 02:00:00"}

The Marine Mammal Center reports high levels of marine mammal disturbance in Central and Northern California for third year in a row
June 10, 2025
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