Film offers chance to sea lions

Marisa O’Neil

When filmmaker Alan De Herrera heard that fishermen off the Southern

California coast shoot sea lions that compete for their fish, he

decided to shoot the mammals himself -- with a camera.

De Herrera’s documentary, “California Sea Lions,” shot off the

California coast, will debut at next week’s Newport Beach Film

Festival. The Fullerton resident got the idea for the film after he

rode on a boat and a fisherman told him that the practice of shooting

sea lions was common.

“I’d never shot a wildlife documentary,” said the 31-year-old

Fullerton College graduate. “I became obsessed with what was going on

and was surprised that nobody had ever made a documentary film about

California sea lions.”

He started researching the marine mammals and went with his

snorkeling gear to Seal Rock off Laguna Beach. There, his interest

was further piqued by a face-to-face encounter with a sea lion.

“I held my breath and dove down and she started swimming around

me,” he said. “She came right into my face and looked me eye to eye,

like, ‘I’m accepting you into our world.’”

On his way home, he paid a visit to Laguna Beach’s Friends of the

Sea Lion, now known as the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. After

speaking with the center’s director, Michele Hunter, about his

experience, he resolved to make the film with their help.

De Herrera’s crew, including people from the center, shot the film

over three years in the Channel Islands and other areas with large

sea lion populations.

“It was a very rewarding and exciting experience to go out there

and watch [De Herrera] film,” said Dean Gomersall of the Pacific

Marine Mammal Center. “We usually see sea lions when they’re sick or

injured. It was great to watch them in their natural environment.”

Sea lions are intelligent animals, De Herrera said, who interacted

with the crew during underwater filming. The pups even played “fetch”

with pebbles the crew tossed and tug-of-war with pieces of kelp.

The Discovery Channel bought stock footage from the project and De

Herrera hopes that the documentary will air on television at some

point. His production company, Rio Films, is planning two more nature

documentaries then wants to shift to the IMAX film format.

“California Sea Lions” will also tour local schools to educate

students about the local wildlife and the problems they face. Ocean

pollution is leading to increased cases of cancer in the animals, De

Herrera said, and they have high levels of pollutants like

polychlorinated biphenyls in their blubber.

“The commercial fishing industry, and sea lions have to work

together,” he said. “They need to allow them to feed themselves not

make it competitive. Sea lions around the world are shot and clubbed

and drowned in nets. We want to show what an amazing animal it is.”