Advertisement

San Diego Orders Steps to Protect Seals

Share
TIMES STAFF WRITER

The City Council, caught between animal lovers and beach devotees, rejected a move Monday to oust harbor seals from the beach at the venerable Children’s Pool in La Jolla.

Instead, the council ordered that barriers be built to protect the more than 140 seals from harassment by humans. Lifeguards will most likely use ropes and traffic cones to shield the seals; nonetheless, humans will continue to be barred from swimming.

Although San Diego is rich with beaches, the Children’s Pool, a tiny cove off Coast Boulevard, has a special tug at the civic heart. Its sheltered waters are ideal for children and as an entry point for skin divers.

Advertisement

Recreation officials had proposed dredging the beach in hopes the seals would swim away to their officially sanctioned perch at the offshore Seal Rock.

But seal lovers argued that it was cruel to coerce the adorable sea mammals to move. The seals have become a tourist attraction, with tour buses stopping so that tourists can snap pictures.

“The seals have rights too,” said Dorene Carlson, who brings her children to the pool. “By leaving them alone, we’re teaching our children to respect other creatures.”

The seals have been flopping and sunbathing at the Children’s Pool beach for three years, forcing the pool to be closed to humans because of a buildup of seal feces on the sand and in the water. The pool and breakwater were built in 1931 with a grant from newspaper heiress Ellen Browning Scripps.

Councilman Harry Mathis, who represents La Jolla and favored the dredging, said he found it incredible that the council would put a higher value on the comfort of animals than the health of children. The council voted 6 to 3 to dump the dredging plan.

Councilwoman Christine Kehoe, who voted with the majority, said there was no assurance that dredging, which would reduce the crescent-shaped beach by 75%, would force the seals to move.

Advertisement

Councilman Juan Vargas, who sided with Kehoe, said the city could have ended up destroying the beach in a vain attempt to save it. The dredging plan would have removed 3,000 cubic yards of sand along the waterline. Other suggestions, including using loud noises or electric prods, had already been ruled out.

Health officials closed the water to humans after fecal bacteria levels were found that were 80 times higher than the safety threshold. In keeping with state and federal laws protecting the animals, signs were erected telling visitors to leave the seals alone.

Advertisement