Pier 39

Pier 39, view from Coit Tower

Pier 39

The Pier 39 , part of Fisherman's Wharf to the north of San Francisco is a former boat dock, now a year-round amusement houses with souvenir shops, rides, restaurants and an aquarium.

Sea lions

Sea lion colony at Pier 39

In addition to the commercial facilities, there is also a “free” tourist attraction: Californian sea lions have settled on moorings at the pier and use them as resting places. The sea lion colony, which can be observed from the surrounding quay, established itself at Dock K in the winter of 1989/90. After an earthquake on October 17, 1989, renovation work was carried out on the pier. During this boat-free time, the first sea lions settled on the pier. A direct connection with the quake could not be scientifically proven.

Over the next few months, the sea lions left their previous home, Seal Rock north of Ocean Beach , and occupied the comfortable jetty . By adapting the system to the tidal range , the way out and into the water was easier than on the rock. The natural enemies, sharks and orcas , are rare to find in San Francisco Bay. The lush fishing grounds in the bay are a good source of food.

Pier 39

While at the end of 1989 there was a colony of 6 to 10 sea lions permanently living on the jetty, the population grew to over 400 sea lions in the next few months, even after the boat berths were reused.

The operators of Pier 39, boat owners and residents initially found the permanent presence to be a disturbance. The boat owners could no longer get past the animals weighing up to 450 kg to the boats without risk. In addition, there was property damage and annoyance from noise and odor.

After consulting the Marine Mammal Center, Dock K was closed to public boat traffic in March 1990; the facility was left to the sea lions. As the population continued to grow, there was damage to the jetty. The weight of up to over 1000 animals pushed the footbridges under water. The footbridge was rotting and threatening to break apart.

In 1995 the old jetty was removed and replaced by 3 x 4 meter pontoons as a resting area for the sea lions.

Information boards have been set up for visitors on the quay. The Marine Mammal Center operates a permanent observation facility with the help of volunteers.

All sea lions left Pier 39 on the night of November 27, 2009, and a short time later they were spotted on the Oregon coast, where they spent their winter camp until March of the following year, after which they returned to Pier 39. It is not uncommon for sea lions to move north in winter to hunt sardines, but it is uncommon for all of the sea lions to disappear at once.

At the end of June 2014, all the sea lions again disappeared from Pier 39. They returned at the beginning of August 2014. This can be seen not only on site, but also via webcam in daylight.