Man Pleads Guilty Of Killing Elephant Seal On California Beach KEY POINTS He pleaded guilty to "taking a marine mammal" He is likely to face at least one year in prison for the misdemeanor A man pleaded guilty of fatally shooting an elephant seal, a species protected under federal law, on a California beach last year, prosecutors said Monday. Jordan Gerbich, 30, who now lives in Utah, had been residing in California’s Santa Maria County when he shot the seal, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said. Gerbich admitted in his plea agreement that he shot the marine animal with a .45-caliber pistol as it was basking on the beach in an area adjacent to Piedras Blancas Marine Reserve and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary near San Simeon.