UNALASKA - The National Marine Fisheries Service is investigating three recent Steller sea lion attacks at Unalaska. That includes one attack that injured a fisherman.
Each of the attacks was unprovoked, officials said.
The National Marine Fisheries Service's Kevin Heck is trying to determine if the attacks involve one aggressive sea lion or several of the large mammals.
Heck also is trying to learn if the incidents have occurred because the sea lion or sea lions have become used to being fed. Sea lions can become angry when they see people but don't get any handouts, Heck said.
About a month ago, 29-year-old Brian Hawley had just finished bleeding the cod tanks of a small stern trawler and was sitting against the rail smoking a cigarette.
``All of a sudden, wham, just right out of the blue, something up and nipped me in the middle of my back,'' Hawley told the Dutch Harbor Fisherman.
He turned around and saw a sea lion in the water about 5 feet below, looking up at him. He believes it was the same sea lion that had repeatedly jumped on the railing and barked at him a couple of weeks before.
The animal's teeth left four nasty scrapes. Hawley went to a clinic for a wound dressing and tetanus shot.
A couple of weeks ago, a mechanic was troubleshooting some hydraulic gear aboard another vessel when a sea lion grabbed the back of his Carhartt jacket and nearly pulled him overboard.
The third attack occurred when a fisheries observer was taking pictures of sea lions at the UniSea docks and one jumped out of the water and lunged - twice.
The Steller sea lion is listed as endangered in the Bering Sea. But they crowd harbors and bays looking for cod and pollock waste. They weave among the boats and often come within feet of divers and kayakers.
Sea lions can pose quite a safety hazard, Heck said.
``The average male can weigh as much as 1,500 pounds,'' he said. ``I'd hate for one of those things to come down on top of a kayak.''