City Shortens Rope at Children's Pool

City work crews shortened the length of a rope barrier that's intended to discourage people from bothering harbor seals at the during pupping season on Tuesday, sparking a controversy over the width of an opening for human beach access.

About 18 feet of the rope was removed to make the barrier comply with a permit issued by the city to its Parks and Recreation Department, which calls for it to be no more than 130 feet long with an opening no narrower than three feet, city spokeswoman Rachel Laing said.

The rope, installed Thursday at the designated start of the five-month season for seal births, measured 148 feet, so it had to be corrected, according to Laing.

However, Bryan Pease, the founder of the Animal Protection and Rescue League, said the workers left the opening seven feet wide, more than twice that intended by the City Council, which voted last year to have the rope up year- round.

“The widening of the opening signals the city is now further defying its own council resolution to keep people out of the seal (breeding area) during their pupping season,” Pease said in an emailed statement.

-City News Service