An endangered Steller sea lion was spotted yesterday on a buoy in the waters off Gijang County, Busan, and was again sighted near Jinha in Ulsan’s Ulju County, South Korea.
According to the Ulsan Coast Guard, they received a report from the captain of a passing vessel this morning: “There is a sea lion.”
Upon responding to the scene, the Coast Guard confirmed with the Whale Research Center at the National Institute of Fisheries Science that the animal was a Steller sea lion, a marine protected species classified as endangered.
The Steller sea lion found that day was not trapped on the buoy and jumped into the water shortly after the coast guard arrived.
The previous afternoon, another report was received from a fishing boat captain near Dongbaek Port stating that a sea animal, which appeared to be a seal, looked in danger on top of a buoy. The Coast Guard responded by moving the animal back into the sea.
According to the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Steller sea lion is the largest species in the sea lion family. While no known breeding grounds exist in South Korea, Steller sea lions are occasionally spotted in the East Sea, around Ulleungdo, and Jeju Island.
Lee Kyung Ri, a researcher at the Whale Research Center of the National Institute of Fisheries Science, explained in a phone interview with News1, “It is unlikely that the sea lion climbed onto the buoy due to the high water temperature; it seems to have simply climbed up to rest.”
The researcher advised, “If a public member encounters a Steller sea lion, they should avoid making loud noises or approaching it closely. Instead, please take photos or videos and report them to the Coast Guard or the National Fisheries Research Institute. Since the animal is a predatory mammal with aggressive tendencies, it is dangerous for untrained individuals to try to drive a sea lion that has come ashore back into the water.”
