What’s wrong with 400 pinnipeds in 0.37 miles of coastline? Plenty
The linear distance between La Jolla Cove and the Children’s Pool is approximately 0.37 miles. I grew up here. This was my playground. This is where I played with my siblings and friends, skated on the sidewalks and learned to swim, snorkel and scuba dive. This is where I fell in love with the ocean. There were never more than 20 sea lions and seals on Seal Rock. It was wonderful to see them.
That was then and this is now.
Recently on a single afternoon I counted more than 400 pinnipeds at Point La Jolla. The stench was extreme. I covered my mouth and nose with a scarf and stood there and counted.
I have been swimming and snorkeling in La Jolla Cove regularly since 1969. I don’t go any longer. I miss it dearly, but the water is too contaminated. I began to see floating sea lion feces with nearly every swim. A childhood friend and swimmer developed a brutal ear infection and, despite good health care, lost hearing in one ear.
Many regular swimmers at La Jolla Cove swim with their head out of the water until they are well outside the bowl to avoid the contamination. Now we call the bowl the toilet. Others have given up on La Jolla Cove and moved to La Jolla Shores to swim.
But the contamination is not the full story. What about great white sharks being attracted to the steady supply of seals and sea lions? Are we waiting for a deadly attack on a local swimmer before we wake up to the dangers of 400-plus marine mammals living in a highly populated area? What would we do if there were 400-plus wild dogs living on Prospect Street?
The local ocean lovers — swimmers, surfers, divers, fishers and snorkelers — know all too well that 400-plus seals and sea lions in 0.37 coastal miles is not healthy for the pinnipeds or the humans. The pinniped population is so large that there is competition for food, often leaving females emaciated and lacking enough milk for their pups.
And don’t forget the degradation of the kelp beds, another factor that must be addressed.
Why do we have such a huge population in such a small area? Might it be because of the marine reserve and the abundance of fish? Might it be because the Children’s Pool has been given to the pinnipeds and that the children are no longer welcome? Might it be that the seals and sea lions have outsmarted us humans?
This is a problem that is only getting worse each year.
Nile El Wardani
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Not looking forward to another Joe LaCava council term
Aren’t we lucky? Our District 1 councilman will run unopposed, thereby making it easier for him to give his constituents the shaft once again (“La Jollan Joe LaCava’s run for reelection to San Diego City Council will be unopposed,” Dec. 28, La Jolla Light).
In his current term he gave us a first-time hit to our wallets by making us homeowners pay for trash pickup, being a lackey mouthpiece for the mayor, who can’t tax us enough for his “equity” schemes to transform our city.
Lou Cumming
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