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00:00The number of sea lions crashing at the pier of San Francisco's famed Fisherman's Wharf
00:11District fluctuates over the seasons.
00:14On most days, more than a hundred can be seen, but this week Pier 39 has counted more than
00:211,000 sea lions, the most they've seen there in 15 years.
00:26The barges the sea lions lounge on are designed to hold significant weight, but officials
00:32admit this current surge is testing their limits.
00:36Biologists believe an unusually high number of anchovies in the bay have attracted extra
00:42sea lions this spring.
00:46So the numbers that we're seeing right now are over 1,000.
00:50We've counted them and they're over 1,000.
00:53And this is unusual because, well, when they first came here, historically in the early
01:0090s, we did have these kind of numbers.
01:02In fact, they got up to 1,700 sometimes.
01:06But over the years that's dwindled down to an average, I would say, between 300 and 400
01:12in the winter and as the spring comes in, maybe up to 700.
01:17So you're looking at, you know, almost double the numbers.
01:21And they've arrived, and the reason they've arrived is there's a huge school of anchovy
01:28that was off the Farallon Islands that's in the bay right now.
01:31So it's all about the seafood.
01:33It's all about the food.
01:35And these animals, a lot of them are on their way down south at the moment.
01:39A big herd of them are on the way down south for the mating season.
01:44Shops and businesses around the area are hoping the sea lion surge will also result in a tourist
01:50shopping spree, attracting more visitors to the area.
01:55It is crazy.
01:57I've never seen that many sea lions in one place.
01:59And I heard about that place, and we came here a few minutes ago, and it's awesome to
02:04see them.
02:05It's very loud, of course, but it's really nice to see all of them.
02:08And it's funny to watch them fight and, yeah, and relax in the sun.
02:13The spike in sea lions is only expected to be temporary as they're just making a pit
02:18stop and fueling for food as they travel south to the Channel Islands for mating season.