Fence in Pacific Grove to protect harbor seals
A new fence is in the works along a popular stretch of beaches in Pacific Grove.
That’s to give harbor seals some space during their pupping season, which is now underway. It’s something the city of Pacific Grove has done for a number of years. They started the fence Monday and it is on target to be finished by the 28th.
The city does this along with a volunteer organization called BAYNET to protect the seals during pupping season.
“Wel, I just watched them from the car, and screamed ‘find a parking lot!’ and we did so we are here,” said Biatta Tunat, a tourist.
Many gathered to watch the harbor seals in Pacific Grove Tuesday, now that pupping season has begun. And with more people turning out to watch the show, there are new calls for more security.
KION’s Zach McIntyre says, “What you are looking at here is the stretch of fence the city of Pacific Grove has made in order to protect the harbor seals during pupping season.”
Lisa Emanuelson, a volunteer monitoring coordinator from Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary says, “This is a secondary harbor seal pupping beach and there are a number of harbor seals that will come to this beach to give birth to their pup.”
Emanuelson wants to remind us that it is only temporary. The fence stretching from 4th to 8th St. will only stay up till sometime in June… for as long as pupping season lasts. And while you might not be able to access certain beaches, you can certainly watch.
“So it’s a great time to stand here at the fence quietly and watch the activity. You know there are always a number of births that happen here at the 5th St. beach,” said Emanuelson.
Something important to remember while watching the seals… or any marine life is not to disturb them.
“It is a federal offense to disturb any marine animals. And that includes picking them up, throwing rocks at them trying to get their attention. Anytime you change an animal’s behavior, that’s actually legally a disturbance,” said Emanuelson.
Emanuelson says in the past few years the number of disturbances have gone up… and kayakers have been one of the culprits. Officials encourage people to try to stay 100 feet away from the harbor seals to preserve their natural behavior. Something local kayak renters are also telling their customers … staying about 5 to 10 kayak lengths away.
Kyle Warehem from Adventures By the Sea says, “We want to give our customers the best opportunity to know what to expect when out on the water. So we have a great orientation that we do with our murals here. Let them know what they are going to see, where to go and how to keep themselves and the sea life safe.
NOAA and BAYNET are encouraging people to speak up if they see someone disturbing the animals. Here are some numbers you can call if you see anything.
Caltip: (800) 541-4591
Noaa: The marine mammal center.
Counties served: Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo
phone: (415) 289-7325
