Sea lions pack Seattle docks, signaling shift in Puget Sound ecosystem
A sign of the sea lions: Why they're gathering in Seattle
Sea lions are back in big numbers, stacked on docks across Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. But as FOX 13's Lauren Donovan explains, that chaos could be a sign of something much bigger.
SEATTLE - Sea lions are back in big numbers, crowding docks across Ballard and causing quite a raucous. Marine experts say the chaotic scene could point to something much bigger happening beneath the surface.
At Shilshole Bay, the presence of the animals is unmistakable even before they come into view.
Sea lions in Ballard (FOX 13 Seattle)
Dozens of male California sea lions can be seen stacked on top of one another along docks, barking and jostling for position.
Joe Gaydos with the SeaDoc Society says their size alone makes an impression.
"They can be seven-and-a-half feet long. They can be 700 pounds. They’re like a big bear," said Gados. "They have a very hierarchical structure and so the bigger you are, the tougher you are, the more you command."
The sea lions, primarily males, are preparing for breeding season and competing for dominance before heading south.
Why are the sea lions in Seattle?
According to Gaydos, Ballard is essentially a feeding stop, a place for sea lions to bulk up before making the journey to breeding grounds in California and Mexico.
"So they’re here right now because there’s food available. That makes me happy because that means that they have herring, anchovies, they have mackerel," he said. "They’re getting fat because during that whole time they’re not going to go eat. So we’re basically a big refrigerator for them right now."
Sea lions in Ballard (FOX 13 Seattle)
Why are there more sea lions now?
If it feels like there are more sea lions in recent years, Gaydos says that perception is accurate.
"They tend to be moving further and further north, maybe because the water is warming a little bit as the climate changes," he explained. "So we’re seeing more and more of them in the Puget Sound area."
He added that their presence is also a sign of a healthy food supply.
"The fact that they are here is a good sign that we have a lot of different fish."
Dig deeper:
An increase in sea lions could also attract larger predators. The Orca Conservancy recently spotted a group of mammal-eating orcas in the Salish Sea, believed to have traveled from Alaska to hunt.
"They’re just going to be eating these things like pickled hearing or something like that," said Gaydos.
That growing food supply from fish to sea lions can help draw in transient orcas, creating a ripple effect that stretches from the docks in Ballard to the broader Salish Sea ecosystem.
Sea lions in Ballard (FOX 13 Seattle)
While the sight and sound of sea lions can be overwhelming, Gaydos says that same chain reaction can translate into real economic impact.
"Whale watching in San Juan County is over $200 million a year, that brings money from cities into rural economies," he said.
Debate over culling
The backstory:
Gaydos says the issue of sea lion culling has come up in other parts of the region, particularly along the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam, where large numbers of sea lions gather at what he describes as a concentrated feeding spot.
Gatos says humans have created a pinch point, a free buffet for animals with the building of the dam.
He notes that about 20 years ago, the federal government began lethally removing some sea lions in that area but says that situation is different from what’s happening in Puget Sound.
According to Gaydos, intervening in one part of the food chain can have broader ripple effects, and the dynamics in Puget Sound where sea lions are more dispersed don’t present the same conditions.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the SeaDoc Society and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.