La Jolla Cove remains open after Point La Jolla beach closure
San Diegans share mixed reactions on the harassment from humans toward the La Jolla sea lions
Point La Jolla is a strip of land along the coast of La Jolla in San Diego, California. Many people may recognize this area due to the loud barking that can be heard. That is because this rocky, flat land is home to more than 300 sea lions. The sea lions have been inhabiting this area from estimated around 2010.
This area, while inhabited by animals, is also open to the public. While a benefit for society to be able to view these creatures from such a close lens, the negatives come as people have been coming way too close.
The issue
“I came down here (to Point La Jolla) and I noticed that people were kind of all over these sea lions, picking up the babies and so on, and I said we’ve got to do something about that,” said Robyn Davidoff, advocate for the Sierra Club Seal Society.
Along with picking up the pups, Davidoff described how she has witnessed people throwing sand and rocks at the animals to get their attention for a photograph.
Councilman Joe LaCava then began a program, which he coined “Responsible Tourism” in attempt to educate the public on how to interact with the sea lions. He said how this did not have a big impact, so he put up signs along the beach on the risks of touching these animals, which he said also “did not work.”
Due to this mistreatment, Davidoff, along with the rest of the Seal Society, petitioned to close off this area of land.
“The public didn’t seem to be able to resist, getting close to the sea lions for a selfie, putting their kids next to these often time 3- to 400-pound wild animals,” LaCava said.
Once he approached the California Coastal Commission and said there did not seem to be an effective way to keep the public safe without a partial closure, the next step was closing the area during pupping season, as the sea lions would be much less tolerant of the public getting close to them. However, once the pupping season was over, people began flocking toward the animals once again.
What’s been done to help
In September 2023, LaCava and the San Diego City Council voted to officially close the land year-round.
“I think it’s working fabulously. The sea lions have their area to play, rest, and even raise their young in this area undisturbed by humans,” Davidoff said.
LaCava said that the closure “seems to be very effective” and that “people seem to understand absolute closure very very clearly.”
The public also has weighed in on the decision to close the area.
“I think it was very appropriate just because when I go, I feel like I always see tourists way too close to the lions, and I think it’s better to preserve them,” beachgoer Reinhart Umali said.
Continued concerns
While this strip of land is closed off, the areas on both sides, which include Boomer Beach and La Jolla Cove, remain open to the public. Although the Marine Mammal Protection Act recommends that people stay at least 50 yards away from the animal, people are often seen snorkeling and taking photographs right next to the animals. This continued treatment raises concerns for people about whether the Point La Jolla closure is enough to halt the mistreatment.
“That one’s the one we’re trying to understand,” LaCava said. “My goal is to keep the beach at La Jolla Cove open and to make sure that the public can enjoy the unique wildlife and seal lions from a safe distance at the boardwalk.”
A differing stance
On the other hand, some offer differing opinions.
“Now that people don’t go on the beach (Point La Jolla), I’d say maybe during when they’re having the pups, they’re (the sea lions) probably less stressed over there,” La Jolla Cove lifeguard Nathan Swank said. “There’s a lot of people here and they’ve got a lot of eyes on them, so I don’t think it’s changed (the worsening of the treatment of the animals), but I’m sure it helped a little bit.”
Along with the added signs and park rangers, SeaWorld Rescue team members can be found providing education and information.
“Our experience with the public, just one-on-one, has been very positive,” SeaWorld San Diego Rescue Supervisor Jennifer Zarate said. “They’re actually the ones that do most of the reporting.”
Zarate said that the public even offers to assist during rescues, such as helping carry the sea lions.
“I would say the reason why I would say it’s an overall positive experience is because we’re able to kind of educate about the sea lions and their natural behavior. And what they see is kind of normal, what to look for when it’s not normal,” Zarate said.
Alternate solutions
According to Trip Advisor, viewing sea lions is among the top attractions in San Diego. An idea that was mentioned to separate the animals from the tourists was to implement cones along the beach. The barricades idea has been talked about according to LaCava, but “proven to be pretty ineffective with sea lions in other places up and down the coast of California.”
“While people understand cones, sea lions tend not to,” LaCava said.
LaCava said that everyone is committed to working together to find the right solution, and while they haven’t gotten there yet it’s “not for lack of trying” and plans to keep those conversations going.
For now, since the beach is open to the public without restrictions, Davidoff leaves some words of advice for future beach travelers.
“We’re trying to ask people, if you’re going to take a photo of the sea lions, try to get them doing their natural behavior, try not to get one where they’re looking at the camera, because that just encourages other people to get closer to them so they can get that kind of photo, and that means they are getting too close.”
This project was produced by Rosalie Burich as a published learning experience in JMS 550 Multimedia News Lab, part of the Journalism and Media Studies Program at San Diego State University.
