Days may be numbered for problem sea lions

KATU 2 ^ | April 3, 2006 | Brian Barker

[george76]

Despite bombs, boats and rubber bullets, dozens of sea lions are continuing to kill salmon near the Bonneville Dam.

This month, biologists are trying one last time to scare off the problem sea lions, but if that doesn't work, they may try to kill them.

Sea lions could kill as much as 10 percent of this spring's salmon run and biologists say if they cannot get the problem solved soon, the situation could get ugly.

The problem is that the salmon are disappearing. An estimated 8,000 salmon will be lost this spring at Bonneville Dam.

"The difficult part about it is we're trying to save the endangered salmon as they are going up past the dam, but you've got the Marine Mammal Protection Act that protects these marine mammals," says Bob Stansell, a Biologist with the Army Corps of Engineers.

The biggest violator is sea lion C-404. He has managed to penetrate the fish ladder at Bonneville Dam.

Biologists say there are nearly 1,000 other sea lions hunting salmon in the Columbia River ...

[Clinging Bitterly]

I grew up in sea lion country and back in the day the fishing fleet kept their numbers in check. The trawlers and the gill netters before them, when molested by sea lions, would just shoot them. Sea lions will gravitate to and multiply around marinas and concentrations of salmon that exist because of human activity, for the handouts and easy pickings. If the fishery and the sea lions are to survive this can not be allowed. Sea lions are not in any danger but they will be if allowed to multiply to the point they deplete the salmon fishery.

Right or wrong, we who have dominion over all the creatures of the earth are at a point where things like hydro projects and commercial fisheries are vital parts of our societal fabric, and sea lions are very much less so (though my old friends who make their living running the Sea Lion Caves tourist attraction on the Oregon coast may disagree).

[Clinging Bitterly]

Read my post 121 above.

[george76]

Many of the liberals think that we can go back to the Lewis and Clark days.

We are here now. 2006...It is what is it.

Destroying the coastal communities with working families with mortgages on their boats and on their homes is not the answer.

Slowing down the PETA and Sierra Club lawyers who shop for the weak, emotional Judges is the first step.

The second step is to get scientists to have a bigger vote on the scientific decisions.

Protecting a few seal lions is nuts. Blaming family fishermen is nuts.

It the regulators would manage the sea lions, the salmon population will be fine.

[Clinging Bitterly]

You a city boy?
Or maybe from Connecticut. That's what I'm thinking.

[FDNYRHEROES]

Sea lions are OK. It's the badgers...Let's kill off all the badgers...We don't need no stinkin' badgers...

[forester]

The fact that we can buy endangered salmon in a can turns the ESA on it's head. If it's really endangered, then there should be no fishing, no boating, no raft trips. These groups get a pass. Instead, it's no logging, no grazing, no farming - and soon, no electrical generation. Crazy....

[RKB-AFG]

Send our buddy C-404 to a zoo. Problem solved!

[george76]

"and soon, no electrical generation. Crazy...."

We could go back to reading by light produced from whale oil lamps.../s

[Robertsll]

LOL!

[Robertsll]

I know. This is a late night comedy news story, if I ever saw one.

[Robertsll]

"Salmon, you see a meal, we see voters." Register them and they'll vote Democrat every election. ;)

[headstamp]

"Eskimos and Native Americans are allowed to hunt them for food, clothing, and traditional arts."


Then simply hire an Eskimo or a Native American to shoot them. They can, in turn, make them into radial tires or whatever. Problem solved.

[gundog]

When ya get finished at Bonneville, there's a healthy population down south. We're always getting closures at a local beach for high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, and everyone just assumes it's from people...wrong. It's from all of the sea lions out on Squaw Island(or whatever it is they changed the name to).

[gundog]

And those are pictures of the cozy, loveable California sea lion. Take a gander at some Steller's sea lions some day. HUGE bruisers.

[kennyboy509]

Hi Fish Hawk,
I thought there was an exception for Tribal Members to take sea lions.

What was the reasoning from the feds?

Here is the text from the MMPA.

The MMPA established a moratorium on the taking and importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products, except: (6) if the marine mammal was taken by an Indian, Aleut, or Eskimo for subsistence purposes or for purposes of creating and selling authentic native articles of handicrafts and clothing.

[fish hawk]

We got our fishing rights back many years ago the the Sea Lion was not part of that deal. Now we would have to go through the whole process again to get them back. My tribe ate Sea Lions for centuries but that does not matter to the envios.