Sea lion tangled in fishing gear jumps onto Coast Guard boat in California

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard said a Los Angeles-based boat crew snapped photos of a friendly sea lion that "hitched a ride" after becoming tangled in fishing gear.

The Coast Guard shared photos on Facebook showing the sea lion on the deck of a boat based out of U.S. Coast Guard Station Los Angeles/Long Beach while it was conducting routine operations off Newport Harbor.

The post said the crew spotted the juvenile sea lion tangled in fishing gear and "after a little persuasion he jumped on board."

"The crew quickly called the Pacific Marine Mammal Center which responded with a rescue crew who safely recovered and transported to the marine mammal rescue center," the Facebook post said. "He will be rehabilitated and released."