Sea lions showing up in Oregon
Tom Stienstra, Chronicle Outdoors Writer
Thursday, January 7, 2010
excerpt from the article:
The abundant sea lion population in this area has created a micro-ecosystem where wildlife flourishes, Saubert said.
“What I think is happening is the sea lions follow the food supply,” Saubert said. “Now we have all these sea lions here. They eat fish and their waste goes to the bottom. That fertilizes the marine food chain. You get plankton and brine shrimp, and that brings in the small fish and the whales. The small fish bring in the seabirds and the bigger fish. So the sea lions have plenty to eat and the cycle starts over again.” Upwelling, a trigger for the marine food chain set off by winds out of the northwest, is often significant here.