Sealion Family, Unalaska Island Postcard

This family of sealions has made Unalaska Island their home. They visit the docks when the fishing boats come in, looking for handouts. Trash fish, which are non commercial species, seem to end up in the water even though it is illegal to feed the sealions. Although this family has become regarded as pets or mascots of the harbour, the truth is that the fishing industry has taken quite a toll on their food supply. At one time large troups of sealions used to visit the bay, but that is a rare event and they remain mostly just outside of the harbour, feeding on the salmon which come to spawn during the summer months. Sealions have been listed as a protected species as a result of their decline in numbers over the last 20 years.