Huge Sea Lion Washes Ashore on S.F. Beach With 2 Bullet Wounds
A huge sea lion, whose species successfully competes for herring with man and beast, washed up at Aquatic Park with two bullet wounds in its blubber, U.S. Park Police reported Friday.
The 500-pound specimen, which Sausalito veterinarian Raymond Dieter said is the biggest he has ever seen, rolled up on the beach at Fisherman’s Wharf on Thursday afternoon, officers said.
Dieter conducted an autopsy and reported that the creature recently had eaten 43 pounds of herring. This is the herring season, and dozens of boats are fishing the bay for the valuable catch.
The federal Marine Mammal Act outlaws the shooting of seals, although fishermen may be issued permits to shoot such animals if they interfere with the catch. A Park Service source said it is not known whether such a permit had been issued.
Dieter said another sea lion, also shot, washed up on Cronkhite Beach in Marin County last week.
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