A popular California beach will be closed until 2030 because tourists won't stop messing with sea lions

• San Diego is closing part of one of its most popular tourist beaches for seven years.
• The closure on Point La Jolla and parts of Boomer Beach comes after sea lions faced harassment.

After countless negative interactions between humans and sea lions, San Diego is closing one of its most popular beaches for seven years.

The San Diego City Council on Monday unanimously approved the closure of Point La Jolla and parts of adjacent Boomer Beach year-round until 2030, according to a statement from the city.

The new ordinance is an amendment to a previous permit that closed the beach from May to October for "pupping season," when mothers and newborn sea lions bond, nurse, and learn to swim, per the city's statement.

Earlier this year, the California Coastal Commission supported the amendment.

The city statement explained the closure was to protect both beach visitors and the sea lions.

"Members of the public have been observed trying to touch, take selfies, and get as close to sea lions as possible," the statement said. "These interactions are not only dangerous for both humans and wildlife, it may be a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act."

La Jolla, a hotspot for wildlife, is a relatively unique place for pupping since sea lions usually give birth on islands or near isolated cliffs, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The area is famous for sea lions because it provides rocky ledges, beaches, and abundant prey in the surrounding underwater canyons, according to the La Jolla Light,

It's also uniquely public for the animals, leading to sometimes disastrous interactions between humans and sea lions.

In 2021, per the San Diego Union-Tribune, a sea lion pup died at La Jolla Cove after being backed toward a cliff by a group of people and injured by waves repeatedly striking the rocks.

One Sierra Club docent who spoke to the Tribune said she had seen "a visitor kicking the sea lions to get them to lift their heads for a photo" and called the beach environment "chaos."

The city council's decision comes after a challenging summer for sea lions. In addition to continued harassment from tourists and beachgoers, southern California sea lions were devastated by the impacts of a toxic algal bloom, which caused unpredictable behavior and death.

The city of San Diego and the California Coastal Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.