2,000 sea lions have made their home in San Francisco

If you’ve ever lived near the California shores — or even vacationed there, for that matter — you’ve probably glimpsed an affectionate sea lion or two.

There are an estimated 300,000 California sea lions in the U.S., according to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. All of them can be found on the Pacific Coast.

San Francisco is seeing record-high amounts of sea lions on their docks and beaches. Per The New York Times, around 2,000 sea lions have overwhelmed the waters by Pier 39, resting on rows of wooden floats.

Why are there so many sea lions in San Francisco?

Sea lion migrations to San Francisco aren’t a new phenomenon. The previous sea lion record was 1,400 in the 1990s, according to The New York Times. Originally, the sea lions came in pursuit of a large school of anchovies situated next to the Golden Gate Bridge.

According to The Associated Press, sea lions first appeared at Pier 39 in 1989. The harbormaster, Sheila Chandor, told The Associated Press why the marine mammals have stayed in such large numbers this season.

“It’s all about the seafood. It’s all about the food,” Chandor said. “A very good way to put it is they are fueling up for the mating season. It’s spring. They are ready to rock and roll down in the Channel Islands, and we’re a nice pit stop with some great seafood.”

Sea lion expert Adam Ratner told The New York Times that the amount of sea lions was “truly remarkable.”

“Every dock is full,” Ratner said. “It’s quite the sight, quite the sound and quite the smell.”

It isn’t clear what has kept them around. The number of animals has grown so high that many of them have taken to docks further away.

Where can you see the sea lions?

Pier 39 is a generally popular tourist spot, according to The New York Times. It’s “situated near one end of Fisherman’s Wharf with a carousel, T-shirt shops and restaurants famous for their sourdough bowls of clam chowder.”

And now that the sea lions have gathered in such large numbers, more tourists and locals have been flooding in to see the spectacle for themselves.

The locals seem to have been enjoying the sea lions sightings as much as the tourists. Erica Schmierer, a San Fransisco local, told The New York Times about her surprise.

“I always thought this was just a carousel and shopping,” she said. “I didn’t know there were 2,000 sea lions in my backyard.”

Visitors can see the sea lions on Pier 39 as well as other piers in the area.