It turns out people and seals have different ideas about the best time of year to lie on the beach. People prefer the summer and seals enjoy sunbathing in the colder months. So San Diego lifeguards figure, why fight nature?
Lifeguard union spokesman Ed Harris is promoting a plan that involves sectioning off portions of the beach using movable boulders. In the summer there would be a bigger beach for humans, and during the rest of the year the seals would have more space. After pupping season, the sand would also be bulldozed to clear out any contamination caused by the seals. Harris said the lifeguards have remained neutral on the subject, but have decided it’s time for the problem to be resolved.
"What we unfortunately see is a lot is harassment of tourists to the point where children have come up crying. We’ve seen fights, we’ve seen stuff that is just really unacceptable," he said.
Harris is presenting his idea to community groups. He'll be speaking to the La Jolla Community Planning Board on Thursday evening.
The California Coastal Commission will discuss whether the city can put up a year-round rope at the Children’s Pool at its meeting in Chula Vista next week.
