Crowds of Sea Lions Keep Gathering on Moss Landing Roadway, Disrupting Traffic

Hundreds of sea lions have turned a roadway near Moss Landing Harbor into a regular gathering spot in recent months, repeatedly spilling into traffic and forcing authorities to figure out new methods to usher them back toward the water.

The animals began gathering near the Moss Landing Harbor bridge in July, with their numbers growing over time, as SFGate reports. In recent months, they’ve increasingly spilled onto the roadway, creating traffic delays and safety concerns for drivers and pedestrians.

“We were talking to the marine wildlife folks, the volunteers and such, and they were saying they're very social creatures,” said bystander Tanirll Lieoner, speaking to KSBW. “So two of them started, and now all of a sudden there's like 2 to 300 of them.”

California Highway Patrol officers have been using sirens, barriers, and shields to move the persistent sea lions off the road, but the animals keep returning.

The gathering is reportedly unusual for the bridge, though large sea lion colonies are common elsewhere along the Monterey Peninsula. Giancarlo Rulli, associate director at the Marine Mammal Center, told SFGate the nearby Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary offers plentiful food and places for the animals to rest between foraging trips.

“The Monterey Peninsula is arguably the best local supermarket for marine life along the California coast,” Rulli said, speaking to SFGate.

Warmer ocean temperatures ahead of a potentially strong El Niño season could also be shifting marine mammals into new areas as their food sources move.

Meanwhile, the growing crowds of sea lions have reportedly drawn visitors who stop on the bridge or approach the animals to take photos, further slowing traffic. Marine life advocates are asking people to avoid the area while the sea lions remain. 

Rulli said they will likely move on as food availability changes, though the Marine Mammal Center does not know when that will happen.

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