Photo: Matthew Pablico | Unsplash
To protect sea lions who come ashore in southern California every summer, San Diego City Council has voted unanimously to close Point La Jolla and parts of nearby Boomer Beach to people and dogs for seven years. The closure spans about 150 yards of the rugged coastline about 15 miles northwest of San Diego but does not include La Jolla Cove, a popular swimming area with a beach, nor nearby Shell Beach and Ellen Browning Scripps Park. Visitors will still be able to do observe the sea lions from behind barriers. In April 2022, the California Coastal Commission implemented an annual seasonal closure from May 1 to October 31 during sea lion pupping season. The recent city council vote extends that to be in place year-round. Since 1972, the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act has made it illegal for people to harass, capture, kill or bother sea lions. An estimated 180,000 adult California sea lions exist in the wild.
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