Sea Lions, Like Many Other Californians, Are Leaving the State

Pier 39 in San Francisco has attracted large throngs of sea lions in the past few years (see top photo).

Sea lions are a species of seal, but unlike regular seals, sea lions have ear flaps and longer front flippers.  See bottom photo of a typical California sea lion.

I was up there at Pier 39 (which is now an upscale shopping mall) a few years ago and noticed the sea lions sunning themselves on the pier.  They really stank.  Think of several tons of dead and rotting fish.  That's what they smelled like.

But they were fun to watch.  One of them will bark ever few minutes:  "Arf, Arf, Arf, Arf, Arf!"  It's almost always five "arfs."  Must be a union rule.

Now the sea lions have moved out of Pier 39.  A week or so back, there were 1,500 of them there, and now there is only about a dozen.  Scientists are saying they are probably just following their food supply, which consists largely of sardines and anchovies.

However, I see from a post at Left Coast Rebel that California is the leading state for outbound immigration.  Californians are leaving the state like rats from a sinking ship.  California is not the only liberal state seeing a net decrease in population.  New York and Michigan are other examples.  The state with the greatest net gain in new residents is the state of Texas.  I'd move there too if I could.

Sounds like sea lions aren't the only ones following the food supply.