Sea lions still hanging around on Allyn dock

Port of Allyn commissioners continued to discuss ways to get sea lions, who have taken up residence on the port's dock, to leave.

At the May 7 regular meeting, Commissioner Michael Curtin, who was also elected secretary, suggested purchasing a float to be moored away from the dock, so the sea lions would have an alternate perch.

"It's not going to work," Commissioner John Sheridan said. "If you give them more platforms, they'll just take it up."

Sheridan said he's spent decades working on tugboats and knows the sea lions' habits.

"I don't know what will deter them," he said.

Sheridan said a "broad investigation" is needed to figure out how to persuade the sea lions to leave.

"We should charge people for looking at them," Commissioner Judy Scott joked.

Interim Executive Director Travis Merrill said he spoke with several ports about how they deter sea lions, but most area ports have boat traffic and people who are there all the time.

"They don't seem to inundate those areas that are frequented by people," he said.

Another reason stationary sea lions aren't a problem at other ports is migrating orcas. The killer whales, who are sea lion predators, don't frequent north Case Inlet, Merrill said.

The sea lions have destroyed all six of the power and water pedestals that supply vessels with utilities at the Allyn dock, Merrill told the Herald in an email.

"None of them are in working order," he said.

Replacements will cost more than $28,000, according to Merrill.

"Once an effective plan can be implemented to prevent future damage, replacement of the pedestals will be on the horizon. With no consistent natural predators, the sea lions just linger in the North Bay until the orca's return to push them to other areas," Merrill said.

One solution might be to protect the utilities with cages and barriers and do nothing about the marine mammals, he said.

"Keep investigating," Scott said to Merrill at the meeting.

Sweetwater Creek clean up report

Two full truckloads of material were removed from Sweetwater Creek in an Earth Day cleanup April 20, Merrill said at the meeting.

Merrill said there were still issues with debris on the property and those issues needed to be "wrapped up" before the end of the summer on the port's and Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group's properties to bring them into Recreation and Conservation Office compliance, he said.

"It's my recommendation to not go after funding this grant cycle at Sweetwater Creek with the Salmon Enhancement Group," Merrill said.

"As getting the project into RCO compliance is the current directive from the commission, I will only recommend processes that achieve this goal at this time," he said.

Merrill said he and a Department of Natural Resources employee will go to the property later in the month to cut hazardous trees within the proposed trail route.

Belfair resident Ken VanBuskirk advised the commissioners to "forget about" constructing new trails and use the old road bed on the property during public comments.

Commissioners thanked TrashMash!, HCSEG, Jesfield Construction, individual members of those groups, VanBuskirk and Merrill for their help with the cleanup.