CA Sea Lion Population Rebounding Thanks To Environmental Laws

CALIFORNIA -- California's sea lion population has tripled over the last 40 years thanks to environmental laws that have protected the marine mammals, according to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The organization released a study this month stating that the "sea lions have fully rebounded."

In what NOAA described as the first "comprehensive population assessment" of sea lions, the study credits the Marine Mammal Protection Act for increasing the population numbers.

"The landmark 1972 legislation recognized marine mammals as a central element of their ocean ecosystems, setting population goals based on levels that would contribute to the health and stability of those ecosystems," NOAA wrote on its website.

The study said 90,000 sea lions were accounted for in 1975 with the number growing to 281,450 in 2008 then 306,220 in 2012.

"The researchers found sea lion numbers very sensitive to environmental changes, especially changes in ocean temperatures that affect their prey. Their models based on past population shifts predict that an increase of 1 degree C in sea surface temperature off the West Coast will reduce sea lion population growth to zero, while an increase of 2 degrees will lead to a 7 percent decline in the population," the NOAA wrote on its website.

--Photo: A California sea lion nicknamed Buck runs along the beach in San Diego, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)