Large numbers of sea lions, which grow up to eight feet long and can weigh 1,000 pounds, are back in Monterey, city officials said.
The federally protected marine mammals are hauling out on San Carlos Beach near Cannery Row. The beach is temporarily closed to protect the pinnipeds and their human admirers, the city said Friday.
“Our beaches are a rest point for these sea lions between their breeding grounds in the Channel Islands and the waters of Northern California,” the city said on social media.
Nutrient-rich water is driven up from the depths in Monterey Bay to feed the anchovies, mackerel, rockfish and sardine that are the sea lions’ favorite diet, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
San Carlos Beach was closed for seven weeks last August by an influx of sea lions.
Sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and it is against the law to harass, pursue, or injure or cause a potential injury to them.