No sharing with sea lions

While in most other places the question may be “Where does an 800-pound gorilla sit?” in Newport Beach it’s “Where does a 600-pound sea lion lie?”

The answer to that question will be changing soon, harbor authorities say.

Three years after California Sea Lions made their boisterous entrance into Newport Harbor, attracted to the Department of Fish and Game’s white sea bass hatchery before venturing elsewhere, the city and harbor officials have pulled out all the stops, hiring a virtual sea lion hunter whose sole job is to chase them around at night and keep them quiet.

“It’s pitch black, and we’re hunting; it’s kind of a thrill,” said Chuck South of South Mooring Company. “All we can do short of cattle prods is keep them spread out. If they get together, they fight for terrain. The bulls start hollerin’ at each other. They’re loud.”

The story of the California Sea Lions making themselves unwelcome guests in the affluent Newport Beach sailing community three years ago garnered headlines nationwide. The sea lions target anything relatively low to the water’s surface and broad enough to become their makeshift bed for an afternoon nap or nighttime rest.

Deputy Joel Monroe of the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol said the sea lions have come in two waves this year, with more than 30 in the latest group by his estimates.

They damage equipment, bark loudly and incessantly and have even sunk boats, he said. Monroe estimates they’ve sunk five vessels in the past three years.

This week, though, Chuck South plans to take back the harbor.

South and his crew began patrolling the harbor through the night this week, armed with hoses and a stick (in case the hose doesn’t work, he said) to scare the sea lions away, or at least keep them from congregating.

When they congregate, they bark, and when they bark, people can’t sleep.

“They get so loud it’s like living next to a kennel,” South said. “A kennel with 1,000-pound dogs.”

Starting Thursday night, South has crews running through the harbor from about 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. every night, and he said he plans to keep up the patrols until “the sea lion problem goes away.”

“You never really win. You just try not to be the easiest game in town,” South said.

That, Monroe estimates, should happen by the end of September, when the sea lions migrate to warmer temperatures.

For information on how to sea-lion-proof your boats and docks in the harbor, go online to www.city.newport-beach. ca.us/hbr.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].