Posted on 03/10/2010 6:42:00 AM PST by mattstat
The deadliest force known to man—The Law of Unintended Consequences—has struck again. This time it has led to the deliberate slaughter of sea lions by armed agents of the U.S. Government.
What happened was this: A dam was built in Bonneville, east of Portland, Oregon. As dams will, it created a barrier for both water and anything else that would otherwise traverse the river. This “anything else” included fish, like salmon. And not just any salmon, chinook salmon.
See, chinook salmon are one of the lucky few species protected by a law meant to preserve their breed: The Endangered Species Act. Somebody notices an animal, preferably photogenic, is low in number. If a bureaucracy in Washington D.C. agrees, through a mysterious process, that more of that animal is better than few, then the animal is placed on a list.
Once ensconced, all Heaven and Earth will be moved in an effort to keep that species a going concern. In this case, I mean that literally: the Earth was moved for the chinook. The Bonneville dam was shifted and modified to includ a “ladder”, a sort of stepped, inverse water slide, which the chinook (or other fish) could use to cross the dam.
But just like the water slide at your amusement park...
(Excerpt) Read more at wmbriggs.com ...
Sea lions are feral pigs with flippers.
You have to apply the “cuddly scale” to determine which species will survive. Baby Seals are more cuddly (rating an 8 on the 10 point cuddly scale) than a baby salmon (who only rates a 3).
Once again, the Gods of Federal Politics have decreed who will live and who will die. Gotta love the quandry of the Stellar sealions v. Chinook salmon - The protected eating the protected, and out of season at that.
Sea Lions are extremely likable animals.
Worse than that ... if a organism is merely scarce in one place as opposed to some other, then that organism is threatened or endangered depending on which type of natural resource harvester is affected.
Stinky seals and foul sea lions used to be taken care of the natural way - shot on sight by commercial fishermen (who now are, ironically, an endangered species).
“Sea Lions are extremely likable animals.”
For people who have never had to deal with them outside of the zoo.
Unlike pigs - sea lions taste terrible...
Way back when, the fishermen kept the sea lions honest. Using a 12 gauge, typically.
Then, it was outlawed, but one could get a deprivation permit. Sometime later, it was decided no one could have a deprivation permit.
Sea lions increased tremendously in numbers, and lost their wariness or fear of man, at the same time.
Here we go [an article from 20 years ago]; Herschel the Sea Lion
This guy, and his buddies decimated salmon runs going through the Hiram Chittenden Locks (also called, Ballard Locks, near Seattle, for those of you in Rio Linda..) for many years.
here's another one, a pretty good one from the Seattle Times, back in 2001, that gave the big picture;
Conspicuous Consumers
When predators are protected, what hangs in the balance?
Nothing much has changed since that was written (18-19 years ago?) except that the situation continued & worsened.
I think that the indigenous tribes should be allowed to harvest several hundred sea lions a year, for their hides. Doing so would help bring the predatory pinniped population back under control, using other 'native species', to do it. Mankind didn't come from Mars, ya' know?
Yes they are! I wish every liberal grass eating junkie would take one home.
““Sea Lions are extremely likable animals.”
For people who have never had to deal with them outside of the zoo.”
Exactly!
Fondest sea lion memory: While in False Pass, one decided to come up by the stern roller while I was holding my 12 Ga.
Lovely round red spot
double ought makes,
sea lion takes.
This is the third year of the sea lion trapping and elimination program. The first year the program was halted after two of the sea lion died in the trap after overheating. Rumors that the animals were shot were dispelled, but the screaming animal rights groups (HSUS) halted the program for the year with a court order.
Last year the program eliminated 11 sea lions by putting them down, and 4 were sent to zoos. I believe they were allowed to get rid of about 50, so they need to try harder this year. The run of Sping Chinook is predicted to be large (470,000) and the fish munching machines need to learn to stay away from Bonneville and start to fear humans.
The author does not know much about the subject. He says that the fish ladders at the dam were installed after it was built, and the endangered species act was invoked to save the Chinook. Most of the dams on the Columbia were built with fish ladders (fish make it far into Washington and into Idaho on the Snake), and their was no such thing as the ESA at the time. Also other salmon and steelhead are listed, and munched on by these fish eating machines.
In addition, sea lions love caviar and love to munch on sturgeon, and have been doing so more frequently now that more sea lions are migrating up the river. Sturgeon are not listed, but as more of the larger egg bearing females have their bellies ripped open and are killed things might go down hill fast. The sturgeon fishery on the Columbia is the best in the country, well managed, and worth allot of money.
I wish many more of these fish eating machines could be eliminated along the lower river, and along other river systems. The number of California sea lions has exploded since they were protected in the 70’s and they need some serious culling,. And while we are at it lets do the same with the exploding mountain lion population and the growing wolf population.
“So far this year, there has only been one deadly confrontation, when the sea lion “Whiskers Malone” was shot multiple times after showing his hind flipper to police.”
Best line of the article!
bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.