Sea lion pups at La Jolla Cove are dying at seven times the rate of those at the closed Point La Jolla beach nearby, according to data the Sierra Club Seal Society presented to the California Coastal Commission on Saturday, Aug. 15, as Patch reported.

The group told commissioners that 43% of sea lion pups born at the Cove this pupping season have died or required emergency rescue. Of 21 births recorded, six pups died and five more needed rescue attempts that were unsuccessful. At Point La Jolla, which has been closed to the public since May 1, the mortality rate was just 6%.

The gap is stark.

The data bolsters the case for restricting public access at the Cove, as we reported Aug. 15 following the commission's Friday, Aug. 14 session where commissioners called conditions "completely out of control."

What advocates want

The Sierra Club Seal Society formally asked the commission for cones and security tape on the beach, trifold signs and park rangers stationed at the Cove to protect pups. The group also showed commissioners videos of visitors just inches from sea lions, people in the water scaring off animals and one beachgoer confronting an 800-pound bull sea lion.

The organization said the Cove is not being adequately managed by the city, noting that TripAdvisor has ranked it the No. 1 beach in the United States, drawing mass tourism during pupping season.

City explores ticketing authority

Emily Piatanesi, senior policy adviser to Mayor Todd Gloria, told commissioners Saturday that the city has struggled to enforce the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. She said the mayor's office and city attorney are exploring local or state laws that could let park rangers ticket visitors who violate marine mammal protections.

Piatanesi said the enforcement question is the city's biggest next step, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. At the Aug. 14 session, she said the city has not yet entertained closing the Cove. Earlier this year, the city deployed additional rangers with bullhorns to issue verbal warnings and installed new signage.

Closure debate intensifies

Commissioner Matt O'Malley said at the Aug. 14 meeting that a partial closure is "really the only way to deal with the issue" until the city implements its protection plan. Commissioner Ann Notthoff pointed to Monterey as a model.

"When the sea lions are present there the city closes the beach to people," Notthoff said. "The sea lions do their pupping and then they leave."

The discussion follows the guilty plea of Tyler Muehl, 18, who admitted in federal court Thursday, Aug. 13 to kicking a sea lion at La Jolla Cove on July 22. Muehl faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine at his Oct. 20 sentencing.

Since June, 56 sea lion births have been recorded in the La Jolla Cove area. The most recent pup death reported by the Seal Society occurred the evening of Friday, Aug. 14, after SeaWorld San Diego rescuers had been monitoring the animal the day before.

Point La Jolla precedent

The Point La Jolla seasonal closure, approved unanimously by the City Council on May 24, 2022, runs annually from May 1 through Oct. 31. When the council approved that closure, Council President Joe LaCava said the action codified boundaries and timing and allowed for greater enforcement, calling it a compromise that preserves ocean access while keeping the public at a safe distance.

No vote on a La Jolla Cove closure has been scheduled. The commission has not set a deadline for the city to act.