Watch CBS News

San Francisco Pier 39 seeing record number of sea lions

San Francisco Pier 39 seeing record number of sea lions
San Francisco Pier 39 seeing record number of sea lions 00:49

 SAN FRANCISCO — Pier 39 in San Francisco is seeing more sea lions on its docks than it has in the last 15 years.

KPIX saw more than a thousand sea lions taking in the sun by the pier on Tuesday.

According to experts, their growth can be attributed a heavy influx of anchovies in the area, which is their main food supply.

"Pretty cool. Never seen this many sea lions in one place before," said tourist Les Oakes. "It looks like a bunch of kids vying for a big spot on the couch."

The last time the sea lion count was this high was in 2009 when the docks had a record 1,700 sea lions.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.