Hungry sea lion pulls man holding fish off boat in California

[April 06, 2015]  (Reuters) - A man was injured on Sunday after he was pulled into the water by a sea lion that jumped from the water at a San Diego marina and grabbed a fish he was holding, authorities said.

The sea lion jumped onto the railing of a boat at the Hyatt Mission Bay Marina and snatched a fish being held by a man on the boat, said San Diego Fire Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson.

The man was pulled into the water for about 15 seconds, Swanson said, and was brought to a hospital where he was treated for cuts on his arm and hand.

Media, citing witnesses including lifeguards, reported the man was posing for a photo with the large fish when the incident occurred.

California sea lions, many of them pups, have been washing ashore stranded and hungry in record numbers in recent months.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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