Bay Wildlife

limeydal · 23 March 2006, 06:12

Found out where all the seals ansd Sealions hang out in the Bay!
Caught these warming upon the fishermens bait barges out in San Diego Bay.
Just love those Pinnepeds

cheers dal

codprawn · 23 March 2006, 13:31

For the first time you seem to have missed out - we need a close up of that sign - does it really say "no tresspassing"???

Peter J · 23 March 2006, 13:51

Dal,

What is the intended use for those platforms?

The photo of the mum and baby is superb!

Peter

Nauti Buoy · 23 March 2006, 13:52

Wow, superb shots, nothing like a hectic day in the life of an animal

jyasaki · 23 March 2006, 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter J

Dal,
What is the intended use for those platforms?

If I'm not mistaken, they have net pens underneath, filled with minnows or other baitfish. A charter fishing boat pulls up, they open one of the pens, and scoop the bait from the pens into a livewell on the charter.

jky

Rodan · 23 March 2006, 22:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter J

Dal,

What is the intended use for those platforms?

The photo of the mum and baby is superb!

Peter

basking platforms - bring oin plenty of tourists but recommend it is better to watch from upwind unless you have a clothes peg for your nose!

limeydal · 24 March 2006, 00:32

Codders, yes really is no tresspassing.
As Jky says, they are bait tanks. Beneath the floating deck, are holding pens for ,small mackeral/sardines/anchovies/squid.
The sportfishing boats pull alongside and use large dip nets to fill the bait tanks on the boats. they are open 24 hrs a day.
Small boats can pull up also, but now the price has gone up due to the depletion of bait fish stocks. So a scoop (big enough to fill a small 10 gall live bait tank ) is about $30.00.

So they want to keep people off these barges as it interferes with their business . as well as its a great place to fish as it attracts a lot of fish(especially barraccuda ). Of course, when the Sealions are in; you may as well forget it. They will bite a fish right of your hook.They are very skilled at biting through the fish and just leaving the head on your line

Its always a love hate situation with these animals. They are great to watch and have around;just not when your'e fishing.
cheers Dal
PS and yes always approach from upwind.

jewels · 24 March 2006, 12:35

So they LOOK cute and cuddly, but in REALITY they stink! Sounds like our government! Wahey!

Superb shots Darrall....I'll bring the D70 when we visit!

J & M

jyasaki · 24 March 2006, 19:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by limeydal

Of course, when the Sealions are in; you may as well forget it. They will bite a fish right of your hook.They are very skilled at biting through the fish and just leaving the head on your line

Try keeping them off a fish you just speared. Have had more than a few folks lose halibut to sea lions before they can swim back to the boat. They're amazingly fast in the water.

jky

yoyo · 24 March 2006, 23:09

San Fransico Feb 2006. Golden Gate in the background and one of those Liberty ships which the Yanks were making one a day during WW2 so I am told??

limeydal · 25 March 2006, 00:27

Yep, San Francisco is even worse than here for the number of Sealions.
Remember booking a hotel right on the dockside at Monterey!
Very romantic until nightime when all the sealions started barking their heads off

Unbelievable the racket they make once they get going.
On the other hand the seals are a lot more laid back

cheers Dal

jyasaki · 25 March 2006, 22:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoyo

San Fransico Feb 2006. Golden Gate in the background and one of those Liberty ships which the Yanks were making one a day during WW2 so I am told??

Yes, that's the Jeremiah O'Brian. Restored over a period of years, it is, I believe one of the few remaining operation liberty ships. There are a few more, I think up the Sacramento River Delta at the Mothball Fleet in Suisun.

Yoyo; just reread that, and found it misleading; they were cranking out one a day; build time was 2 , I think.

jyasaki · 25 March 2006, 22:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoyo

San Fransico Feb 2006. Golden Gate in the background and one of those Liberty ships which the Yanks were making one a day during WW2 so I am told??

Yes, that's the Jeremiah O'Brian. Restored over a period of years, it is, I believe one of the few remaining operation liberty ships. There are a few more, I think up the Sacramento River Delta at the Mothball Fleet in Suisun.

Yoyo; just reread that, and found it misleading; they were cranking out one a day; build time was 2 to 3 months, I think.

Dal; You said you stayed in Monterey; I assume you were overlooking the beach? The lot on the far side is where I usually launch.

jky

prairie tuber · 27 March 2006, 16:11

Whoa! What's the season and quota for culling & harvesting those suckers?

jyasaki · 28 March 2006, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

Whoa! What's the season and quota for culling & harvesting those suckers?

Season is year round, and the limit is zero. Federal laws (the MMPA: Marine Mammal Protection Act) call for serious fines for "disturbing" sea lions, seals, whales, otters, etc. "Disturbing" is loosely defined as doing anything that "alters the animals' natural behavior". This includes feeding, chasing, causing to flee, etc.

Only exceptions that I know of to this are the Alaskan Natives, who are allowed a certain number as subsistence and ritual continuation type stuff.

jky

prairie tuber · 28 March 2006, 21:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyasaki

... the limit is zero.

Pity!

They look tasty and seem to have nice coats.

limeydal · 29 March 2006, 01:00

Don't forget desert!

How about a nice tasty slice of baby whale

This one surfaced several times close to my boat last weekend, but too quick to get a photo.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...n24whale2.html

Some baby!! The thing is twice the length of my RIB

Strange thing is, he is hanging around the exact point that used to be a shore whaling station back in the 1850's.
Good job Prairie Tuber isn't down here or the harpoons would be out

He has been swimming in and out of the Bay for the past 2 weeks, so will try again next weekend to get photos,

cheers Dal

prairie tuber · 29 March 2006, 02:50

and where's Bogi when you need him?

jyasaki · 29 March 2006, 17:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by limeydal

Don't forget desert!

Good job Prairie Tuber isn't down here or the harpoons would be out

One of the guys I dive with is an Eskimo guy. He starts drooling every time we pass the sea lions.

jky

limeydal · 30 March 2006, 00:03

Was diving of the Coronados once ;70 feet down in the quiet and grey when a sealion butted me in the rear

Seems they get used to hand outs from the divers and can become quite impatient if you don't feed them!
For the rest of the dive I couldnt get the theme to "Jaws "out of my head and kept looking over my shoulder

cheers Dal