Astoria, Oregon, a city of about 10,000 people, lies on the south bank of the Columbia River and the north banks of Young’s Bay, just a few miles from the pacific ocean.
Sea lions in Astoria are really nothing new. They generally arrive during the winter and stay for the smelt and salmon runs that can continue into as late as the end of May. But something is different this year. The sea lions have arrived in record numbers, and they have come to stay.
On March 27, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife counted 2,300 of the marine mammals on the docks of the East Mooring Basin. City officials were quite concerned at the time, especially because of the damage being done to the wooden docks when the sea lions hauled in and out of the waters of the bay.
There were complaints from the dock authority that the creatures were costing them money because they couldn’t rent out mooring spaces for people’s boats. This, in turn, caused the local Sea Lion Defense Brigade to get up in arms.
Veronica Montoya, a volunteer spokesperson for the group told Portland news outlet, KGW.com, “People that come to visit these guys are more than willing to spend money on tourism. On seeing these guys, on visiting these guys.”
Orange ribbons and a fake orca don’t even work
That was in March, and now it’s June, and the sea lions, some weighing up to a half-ton are still hanging around. On June 5, it was reported that bright orange tape was strung around the docks in strategic locations, to keep the sea lions from hauling up to sunbathe.
One dock, conspicuously missing the gaudy-colored tape, was the perfect spot for a number of the lumbering sea mammals to recline on, soaking up the rays. But even with the tape, things weren’t improving one little bit. That’s when the decision was made to bring in the ‘big guns.”
A motorized fiberglass replica of an orca whale was brought in on June 6, and as over a thousand people cheered it on, the fake whale, actually a boat named “Island,” and renamed “Fake Willy” for the occasion, was launched that night with a human operator inside.
The fake whale even broadcast orca sounds from a speaker inside the boat. Jim Knight, the executive director of the Port of Astoria, said sea lions that were crowded onto the docks became “deathly silent.” But the sea is a strange ecosystem, and that night, the gods that protect all sea life were there in that little bay.
A cargo ship was passing by, and Fake Willy, caught in the ship’s wake, began to list. Then it just went belly up in the water. “Our crew from the port had to go rescue the operator so he didn’t drown,” Knight said. Knight was asked what the sea lions thought about the whole spectacle.
“They probably think it’s dead now that it’s belly up,” Knight said. “You can’t make this stuff up.” Knight told the Associated Press, “We’re excited and can’t wait for round two. The battle is not over. Willy will be back.”
