Man caught on video harassing sea lions in Monterey

MONTEREY, Calif. (KGO) -- Sea lions have once again packed a Monterey beach this time at Sister City Park.

"They should rename Sister City Park to Seal City Park whenever this happens," said one onlooker.

And it was here that the video was captured and posted to social media of a man disturbing the animals.

The man in the blue shirt appears to whip yellow caution tape around scaring the sea lions which tumble down the rocks.

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"I'm not gonna say what I would like to say," said Marge Brigadier.

Marge is a volunteer who comes out here every day to answer to questions about the wildlife. She says people harass the animals often.

"Pretty often, whether it's divers, whether it's kayakers? That's mostly what I see," Brigadier said.

A spokesperson with the Marine Mammal Center emphasizes it's a statewide problem. This map shows the hot spots which stretch up and down the coast.

"At least on the disturbance numbers as a whole," said Adam Ratner with the Marine Mammal Center. "So that incorporates a big spectrum of people that are just getting too those people that might be trying to help the animal but not doing the right behavior. That is a number we've seen growing over the years."

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But he calls this-

"This is obviously an extreme severe case of harassment," said Ratner.

The video has been reported to the government agency. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says they've reached out to the Monterey Police Department to see if anyone can identify the man if no one can. NOAA says there may likely be no further action, and enforcement is rare.

"I trust their judgment given what is on their docket and how they need to be able to prioritize resources," said Ratner.

If you see anyone harming or harassing marine wildlife, you can report it to the NOAA hotline enforcement office at 808-153-1964.