I can't claim I came up with this term myself as the descriptor for seals, sea lions, and other noisy pinnipeds--Annie gets the credit for that--but I have enthusiastically adopted it. That's why I was especially pleased to encounter such a noisy pack of sea lions last December when I was in San Francisco. I don't think the video clip below is worth much aesthetically, but it gives a great sense of just how noisy these guys are.
{A note: I do write all text and take all pictures. Please do not reproduce either without my permission.}
Just to be clear: I don't work at the National Zoo--I just live near it. I'm originally from Detroit, most recently from Boston (where I got my Ph.D. in biology from Tufts University), and am now living in Washington, DC.