In Reply to: Sea Lion pup strandings posted by seahunt on April 09, 2013 at 07:12:42:

Well, what is not a question is that there are few critters as cute as a young sea lion. I always enjoy meeting the "butterballs"
as I have called the fat yearlings you meet in late summer. At the same time, I cannot think of many more efficient fish killing
machines as sea lions. So well I understand the harshness of nature and worry about the precariousness of the environment due
to human and natural action. I do know that the sea lion population has grown greatly and I do know how variable the populations of
the baitfish are that they rely on for food. I was just wondering if divers were seeing much in the way way of baitballs and jumping
anchovies as the boat progressed.
One thing I worry about in terms of the Protected Marine Zones is that a large part of the reason they were created was to
protect the deep water rock fish. I do remember what fishing for them was like 20+ years ago. They were amazingly plentiful. I
have to wonder the effect of the squid fishery on them as that seems like the natural prey of the deep water fish. No matter
how you look at it, it can't be good removing as many squid as are taken.
Enjoy the diving... and protect it, seahunt