And I thought the geese on my swim platform were a problem :-)

************************************************** ***
Think of them as amphibious sumo wrestlers. A pack of rowdy sea lions has
invaded Newport Harbor, sinking boats, thrashing docks and, with their
nonstop barking, turning residents into sleepless zombies.

In a scene that has played out up and down the West Coast, the whiskered
creatures are charming tourists but exasperating local officials, who are
considering a bizarre array of methods to thwart the federally protected
mammals.

Tonight, the Harbor Commission will discuss the situation, which took on
added urgency after 18 sea lions piled onto a 37-foot sailboat this month
and sank it.

The sheriff's harbor patrol has been fielding at least two noise complaints
a day, Sgt. David Ginther said.

"A barking dog doesn't hold a candle to this. It's like 40 barking dogs - in
SurroundSound," grumbled Balboa Peninsula resident Darci Schriber.

For relief, she and her neighbors contemplated painting a small electric
boat to look like an orca, complete with piped-in whale sounds.

Seattle tried a similar idea nine years ago after sea lions raided Puget
Sound and devoured endangered steelhead trout at a fish ladder. The
fiberglass whale, dubbed "Fake Willy," was anchored underwater as an aquatic
scarecrow.

It didn't work. Neither did rubber bullets, underwater noises, firecrackers
or other methods.

Sea lions have also tormented Monterey, trapping people aboard boats,
attacking city workers and defecating and vomiting on docks.

Elsewhere, the animals have attacked swimmers, chomped boogie boards and
even yanked people off boats.


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