Sea Lion Threat To Fish Will Be Reduced, Panel Hopes

WASHINGTON -- Wildlife officials have tried shooting them with rubber bullets, chasing them with boats and scaring them with flares. Nothing has worked for long. Now federal lawmakers took the first step Wednesday toward making it easier for states and Indian tribes to kill some of the California sea lions that feast on endangered and threatened salmon in the Columbia River.

The population of California sea lions has steadily grown over the past three decades and now numbers nearly 250,000. About 75 of them make their way nearly 140 miles up the Columbia River to feed on smelt and salmon. They congregate near the Bonneville Dam on the border of Washington and Oregon where fish gather and pass through a series of ladders on their way to spawning grounds.

By a vote of 29-13, a House committee passed a bill that would speed up the application process that states and Indian tribes undertake when obtaining a permit to kill sea lions. Under the legislation, a single permit would allow applicants to kill up to 10 sea lions in a single year.

Supporters of the legislation argue that the sea lions are not indigenous to that portion of the Columbia River. The sea lions have adapted to the easy supply of food at the dam and are removing a precious resource that state and federal governments have spent billions of dollars to protect.

"With all other methods exhausted, lethal removal of the most aggressive sea lions is the only option left to deter predation, help protect endangered salmon and recoup more of our region's substantial investment in salmon recovery," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Doc Hastings, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

California sea lions ate about 5,000 salmon last year at the dam, which represents about 1.4 percent of the salmon run. Officials said that dam construction, the introduction of non-native fish and other factors such as protection of the sea lions has contributed to the decline of the salmon and steelhead population in the Northwest.

"Man's involvement has tilted the scales away from the salmon and we must intervene to help balance the impact," said Virgil Lewis, a member of the Yakama Nation, in testifying for the bill last June.

Critics say that the sea lions are among the least of the problems facing fish in the Columbia River and that killing them would do little to benefit overall salmon numbers. They say another sea lion will eventually come along to replace the one that was killed. Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the committee, offered an amendment that would rename the bill the "Shoot Sea Lions for Eating Fish Act." He subsequently withdrew it.

"This bill would have us shoot sea lions simply for being hungry," Markey said. "What crimes have sea lions actually committed here?"

The Humane Society of the United States has filed lawsuits to protect the sea lions from previous efforts to kill them. The organization argues that killing sea lions merely distracts from the key reasons that salmon populations have declined, such as the increase of harvest quotas and the introduction of bass and walleye.

The legislation has support from Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the region. State wildlife agencies have also lent their support to the effort through their testimony at congressional hearings. Still, Hastings has introduced similar legislation before and it remains to be seen what traction it will gain. So far, nothing similar has been authored for the Senate to consider.

In 2008, federal officials gave states the authority to kill up to 85 sea lions each year, but a federal appeals court halted those efforts. In August, the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho again requested authorization from the federal government to lethally remove sea lions at Bonneville Dam. Federal officials are reviewing the application.

Hastings said it's clear that the application process is broken. His bill would require the secretary of the Commerce Department to act on application requests within 30 days of receiving an application.

Comments

[Dern88]

06:37 PM on 10/07/2011

Hey folks, as about the only supporter of this on here, (see the MANY posts below) let me say just this: Unless you are vegan, live in a canvas tent in the desert, don't wear a leather belt, own leather shoes, or use a weather wallet/purse, your animal cruelty argument is null and void. Before responding, please take a look in your fridge, observe the milk, eggs, chicken, and beef, check your closet for shoes and belts, and then take out that wallet or purse. How many animals have given up their lifes for YOUR sustinence or enjoyment of fashion? Does a farm-raised animal have less value than a wild one? Thought not. This is culling a few to save A LOT.

[Beautiful World]

09:34 AM on 10/10/2011

The survival of the salmon will not be saved by culling the sea lions. The real issue may lie with the dam itself, which has changed the water quality and flow of the water. This culling of a "few" will not save a lot. The salmon is in decline and this is a great concern. There are other solutions. And killing off one species to save another may have more dire consequences long term.

[Dern88]

11:12 AM on 10/10/2011

You didn't read the comments below. 25,000 salmon picked off at the dam by 50 sea-lions, times 5000 eggs per fish. No, it won't 'save' the salmon, but removal of the 50 will help to increase their survival by 125million eggs they would be allowed to spawn. This article only discusses one run...we have 5 that go over Bonneville dam. 25,000 fish being preyed on by 50-75 animals that are 140 miles away from their natural habitat. Always the same 50-75 animals. They are tagged and monitored and the ONLY ones making the journey upstream.

[Linus521]

09:26 PM on 10/06/2011

When will they begin to shoot humans that are the biggest consumer of fish? Why not rip out more fish killing dams? Both salmon and our seals are biological diversity. They both have jobs to fulfill for their ecosystems and for the Earth.

Man is always attempting to manage Earth. Kill off all the seals and the sharks fall extinct, if the shark falls extinct, the ocean and her marine ecosystems devolve into lifeless, oxygen-less pools of dead water that can no longer support fish, sea lions, sharks or life. All things are connected; nothing exists without all the chains of life that spell Earth and life.

[sundanzron]

02:44 PM on 10/06/2011

well seems we or they or someone always has to intervene with the natural events of life. by that I mean, fish eat fish, we eat fish.... probably several tons more than the sea lions could ever consume....China takes millions of tons of fish from the oceans ,theres no open season on them.

[Grousefeather]

02:27 PM on 10/06/2011

If it happens, let's hope the carcasses are fed to the starving polar bears.

[taarmao]

01:56 PM on 10/06/2011

omg this is really stupid. humans caused the problem...humans are the problem.. if enough fish were in the sea to eat the sea lions would not be at the dam in the first place. humans take an obscene number of salmon from the columbia and the sea lions get blamed. i've never noticed the sea lions at the grocery store nor tending a garden plot. so pleazzzeee give them a break and leave them alone.

[Just4theHalibut]

07:14 PM on 10/06/2011

Sorry, you are wrong. There are plenty of fish in this part of ocean for the sea lions, otherwise their numbers would have not increased so much recently. These particular sea lions have discovered the equivalent of a fast food joint and in the processs are wiping out an endangered stock of salmon. Yes, the stock is endangered because of human activities in the last century; many of us are working hard to reverse these man-made hazards but it is a slow process, and all our work will be for naught if the sea lions are allowed to gobble down the results.

[footsore]

12:47 PM on 10/06/2011

Kill em! You can call them Marine Mammals. But they are predators. If they were wolves on a ranch, they would all be dead. Most non-natives do not understand the importance of these fish. They are just for food. They are not just for ceremony. They are not just for sale (barter).
The fish, represent a way of life. A point of freedom taken away. Now through the dithering that has gone on for years. more fish are being lost. I am also tired of hearing that the sea lions only eat a small percentage. But each of those salmon taken represent another hundred thousand of the next generation.
footsore

[Dern88]

02:59 PM on 10/06/2011

Another good point. Thank you.

[Neil20]

12:27 PM on 10/06/2011

Why is it that only the sea lions are blamed for the the diminishing of the salmon? Salmon numbers have been reduced more because of human intervention than anything else. Commercial fishing, obstruction in the river by dams, logging in the upper regions, river and sea pollution, introduction of other varieties of fish are the main culprits. So why make sea lions the scapegoats? Sea lions and salmon have been living in co-existence for thousands of years. It's only when white man came and settled along the coast and pursued mass logging, constructing factories, mining and so on that the balance began to tilt. For hundreds of years the Indian tribes had no problem with the sea lions. They all lived in natural harmony. So why has the problem cropped up today? And is shooting these animals (who are only seeking to feed themselves and their families) the only solution? Some lawmakers are perhaps thinking of using their guns to prevent them from gathering rust. What an idiotic solution. Nature has her own way of solving this problem. It is not necessary for humans to intervene in such a violent manner.

[Dern88]

02:38 PM on 10/06/2011

Agreed...however, as stated below, this particular group of Sea Lions is doing considerable damage on an already pressured species in an area that is not Sea Lion habitat. Granted, gill-netting the Columbia (a travesty in my opinion) does far worse damage than this small Sea Lion population, however, following the run upstream is a 'learned' behavior with huge consequences to our wild salmon/steelhead runs if this is allowed to continue. We're fighting for the continuation of a species that is already endangered and yes, it includes fighting legislation that allows gill-netting. There are plenty of groups fighting gill-netters and commercial fishermen in the mouth of the Columbia, but in the instance of said Sea Lions, we're talking 140 miles upriver of any salt water. This is not their habitat.

[Dern88]

10:45 AM on 10/06/2011

As an animal lover, avid fisherman, and Oregon resident who fishes the Columbia frequently, I am hopeful that this law will finally pass. We aren't talking about huge groups of Sea Lions; it's a rogue group estimated to be between 50-75. It would be one thing if fresh water and living 140 miles upstream were their natural habitat, but this isn't the case. We have tried cherry bombs, rubber bullets, trapping and relocating...all to no avail. Granted, the biggest threat to our native salmon is gill netting, which I'm against, but combined with the 'new' threat of Sea Lions 'up' the river, and Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, and McNary dams, the salmon have little chance. What the article didn't mention is that this the same group that comes year after year, mostly tagged and monitored. This is a learned behavior and is recent. There is no proof that once this group is eliminated that another will take their place.

[kwaut lizard]

02:01 PM on 10/06/2011

Informed comment. Once again it is humans that have the greatest impact but animals that pay the highest price. I am curious why Idaho is included in the culling permits but appears to be well outside of the sea lions coastal range.

[Dern88]

02:29 PM on 10/06/2011

No culling would happen in coastal waters, as the dam is 140 miles upstream of the Pacific ocean. Idaho put in the request along with Oregon and Washigton for the culling to happen at the dam. As all five runs migrate the watershed into Idaho, their ecosystem is effcted as well. (Probably more-so because of the added distance the run needs to travel and environmental/human pressures along the way) The culling will most likely be done by OR and WA wildlife officials, and possibly the Tribes from both States that are allowed salmon quotas. We're talking 85 permits, I believe, but in reality there are only about 50-75 Sea Lions that are problematic at this time.

[jeffbiss]

02:20 PM on 10/06/2011

Killing any sea lion isn't an answer by any stretch of the imagination. The situation is caused by people, period. The sea lions are forced to survive on whatever is available and they are also a victim of human activity. Quit fishing the salmon and get rid of the dams. We're the problem, not them.

[Dern88]

02:56 PM on 10/06/2011

Considering the sea lion count in Oregon alone, not including Washington, is over 7000 and we have only 50-75 making their way up the Columbia 140 miles to the dam, one can hardly make the argument that they are 'forced' to survive by doing so. Totally agree with you on the dams, etc...but we've tried relocating this group of sea lions and they have returned. It's horrible to cull the few but it saves thousands of fish by doing so, and will more than likely put an end to the new sea lion migration up the river. It's a hard argument for me to make, as I'm both a fisherman and animal lover, but it's a fairly small sacrifice to make for the continuation of an endangered species under so much pressure. If they were asking to shoot them in coastal waters or even a mile or so upriver, trust me, Oregon would be against it.

[Natalie Zaracko]

08:45 AM on 10/06/2011

Wow. So first we kill off most of the salmon through our own greed, then we blame sea lions for being hungry and start killing them too? Great.

[Dern88]

10:58 AM on 10/06/2011

Sea Lions have always eaten salmon, it's one of their mainstays. However, they are traveling up the freshwater system and doing damage on a school of easy to pick off salmon waiting to go up the ladder at Bonneville. Ridding 50-75 Sea Lions (always the same group) to save 5000 salmon per run is best for the Salmon. We have 3 salmon runs per year; Spring Chinook (King), Fall Chinook, and Fall Coho (Silver), as well as two steelhead runs; Winter and Summer. This group of Sea Lions follows each run, so the damage is actually around 25,000 fish. I agree with you on killing the salmon because of greed...our gill netters on the Columbia are their biggest threat but this small group of Sea Lions are definitely doing a lot of damage.

[Neil20]

12:29 PM on 10/06/2011

Are the salmon labelled 'For humans only?' How much damage could the sea lions do? You just imagine.