AQUATIC PARK, SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park’s Aquatic Park Lagoon re-opened for swimming on Nov. 20, after five days of being closed due to multiple swimmers receiving bites from a seal or sea lion.
Photo by Francisco Arreola
Published: December, 2006
The park has been monitoring the area from shore and by boat and, so far, no additional aggressive marine mammal behavior has been observed, and the swim clubs in Aquatic Park have not reported any new incidents.
Although the lagoon has re-opened to swimmers, the park’s recreational users should be aware that marine mammals in the San Francisco Bay are wild animals, in their natural habitat, and that their behavior can be unpredictable. Swimmers are advised to keep a safe distance from any sea lion or harbor seal they may observe in the lagoon, and to avoid any interaction with the animal.
According to National Park Service Senior Science Advisor Sarah G. Allen, Ph.D., Aquatic Park Lagoon swimmers might encounter more sea lions than usual this year. Allen, stationed at Point Reyes National Seashore, advises that if sea lion food supplies are low along the southern California coast, more animals might be migrating northward and visiting San Francisco Bay.
