In 2024, millions of tourists visited La Jolla, a location famous for its seals and sea lions; however, few realize that 78 percent of sea lion pups at La Jolla Cove died that same year. The charismatic nature of these animals has made them incredibly popular (chances are you’ve even seen them in memes online), but that popularity has become a contributing factor to the
death of their pups. Even adult seals and sea lions cannot coexist peacefully in tourist-heavy areas. Just this spring, I witnessed a man verbally harass a group of Steller sea lions as they attempted to rest on the Santa Cruz pier. To protect our oceans, the public and local governments must strengthen protections and enforcement that prioritize the health of seals and sea lions over convenience. To accomplish this, the perception of wildlife tourism must change.
Seals and sea lions play a vital role in coastal environments by serving as apex predators and by providing valuable insight into how wildlife responds to human interaction. In other words, the health and behavior of seal and sea lion populations can be used to assess the health and potential threats to marine ecosystems. People benefit from this as well! As they share coastal habitats and food sources with humans, their populations are also used to determine potential public health risks.
Human interactions with seals and sea lions have grown more frequent alongside the rapid expansion of pinniped tourism (tourism centered on seals and sea lions). Social media and wildlife documentaries often create a misleading portrayal of wildlife tourism, suggesting that wildlife is “easily observable” while understating the risks of human-wildlife interactions. This encourages behavior such as approaching animals too closely or shouting at them. Without clear guidelines, tourists may also inaccurately base safe viewing behaviors on other tourists.
Inappropriate tourist behavior is the primary threat to seals and sea lions. These animals exhibit high levels of stress in response to human behavior, interrupting critical resting periods and causing them to flee into the water, wasting energy. A study in Ireland showed that harbor seals continued to express stress behaviors even when tourism was passive. Frequent stress has been known to cause long-term health and reproductive issues in both seals and sea lions. Pups are especially vulnerable, often dying from starvation when stressed mothers abandon them or by being crushed by stampedes of sea lions triggered by human disturbance.
Despite these facts, enforcement involving marine mammals is often weak and controversial. Frequently, economic and human interests have been prioritized over conservation efforts. For locations like La Jolla Cove, the city government prioritizes public beach access despite high pup mortality rates. When the Children’s Pool was closed as a seal breeding ground, the Friends of the Children's Pool Association protested the closure, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to intervene.
Although some argue that weak marine mammal regulations benefit tourism, they ultimately threaten both the wildlife and the tourists that the industry depends upon. Marine wildlife tourism encourages boat traffic. Multiple species of marine animals have been killed by boat collisions, suffered long-term health declines, as well as a decreased ability to communicate and navigate the ocean, all because of boat traffic. Direct interactions with seals and sea lions also increase the risk of injury and disease in humans. The harm caused by irresponsible marine mammal tourism goes both ways! To continue delivering long-term profits, wildlife tourism must be sustainable.
When it comes to being a responsible tourist, you’re in control. Keep your distance from seals and sea lions. NOAA recommends staying at least 100 yards away or leaving if the animal experiences any behavioral changes. Be a good citizen! This means educating others and calling out inappropriate behavior. It also means taking civic action by pressuring civic officials to enforce marine mammal protections, even if that limits human access to them. If you want to help out directly, join educational volunteer programs such as the Sierra Club San Diego and The Marine Mammal Center, or other local programs in your area!
When wildlife tourism has such a large impact on easily observable animals like seals and sea lions, there may be possible unseen effects on less popular and less observable animals. This issue isn’t just a warning for the health of seals and sea lions, but for all forms of wildlife. We must always be responsible when interacting with nature, because it can be easy to harm it without realizing it.
What may be a slight inconvenience on your vacation can mean the difference between survival and endangerment for vulnerable pups and future generations of marine life.
The views expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Saving the Sea Organization. This piece was written as part of the Emergent Fellows Program, our summer fellowship in environmental policy and advocacy.