It was early in December when they were first seen near the Vancouver Rowing Club. Four individuals only, but out of an abundance of caution, captain Tricia Riley and the other rowing coaches cancelled all activities that day.
Practice resumed the next day, and rowers had no other option than to share the water with the sea lions. Other marine animals soon followed, such as harbour seals and seagulls, all in unusually large numbers for that area.
Altogether, they provided Vancouverites with a daily wildlife spectacle in one of the busiest waterways in the city, and members of the rowing club had the best seats in town.
California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), the ones that were swimming around Coal Harbour, are imposing animals, and everyone was nervous about rowing with them. They can reach two metres in length and weigh over 350 kilograms.
Desiree Leubkemann, the club safety officer, contacted the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre (VAMMR) to make sure it was safe to row among them and received good news.
Dr. Martin Haulena, Executive Director of the VAMMR, said it was not unusual to have them around and that they are not aggressive. What was unusual were their numbers in that specific location.
“Some food source has moved into Coal Harbour,” said Dr. Haulena. “It’s possibly herring; it’s their spawning season this time of the year.”
Martin Haulena and Lindsaye Akhurst are executive director and rescue manager, respectively, at VAMMR.
This species is very common in British Columbia; their range stretches all the way from Mexico to southeast Alaska. At this time of the year, the males migrate north while the females stay further south in their rookeries.
Ms. Riley noticed that their numbers increased gradually over the weeks, until there were about 20 sea lions around. She was concerned about their wellbeing.
“We knew we had to keep a respectful distance and be careful as we were operating motor boats. We didn’t want to disturb them,” she said.
Stephanie Geoffrion, with the orange boat, joins her teammates in the washing of boats and oars before they are returned to storage at the rowing club. She said she was happy to be out with the sea lions.
Across the harbour from the rowing club, Lift Bar Grill View has a sign welcoming visitors hoping to see the sea lions.
This unique wildlife display in the middle of a busy urban area attracted a lot of people to the neighbourhood. Crowds formed around the club to see the action.
All this excitement didn’t go unnoticed by local businesses. Harbour Cruises, a boat tour company in the area, left their gate open to the public so people could see the animals from their deck. Natasha Andrew, who works at Lift Bar Grill View, created a sea lion art on the restaurant board to welcome people in.
“A lot of people that come to the restaurant enjoy watching them,” she said. “They are asking about the sea lions all the time.”
For over six weeks, the animals put on a daily show, and after some initial wariness, the club’s rowers were delighted to have the animals around.
“We were nervous because they are large wild animals,” said Ms. Riley, “but we got comfortable around them, and now that they’re gone, we miss them. It was pretty cool and exciting to have them around.”
