The docks at Port Dock 1 on Newport’s Yaquina Bay were originally installed to provide recreational boaters a place to moor on the historic waterfront. However, over the years, sea lions moved in. Not just a few, but enough piled on the docks to collapse them and make them unusable for boaters. However, the closeness of the large sea lions to visitors became an attraction. Rather than force the Pinnipeds to relocate, they were embraced and a nonprofit organization was formed. The Newport Sea Lion Docks Foundation has been working for three years to replace the docks with better ones more friendly for sea lions. They were installed Friday, Jan. 30.
