Posted on 04/08/2006 8:47:54 PM PDT by 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 ...
(Excerpt) Read more at katu.com ...
I know a coyote is more intelligent than my chickens, but he's going to die anyway if I can get a bullet into him.
You a city boy?
Then net them and send them to a zoo or a circus.
Their moral relativism will make our heads spin.
They'll want to save the lions. The natural order of things,and all that.
They have big teeth.
And a big stomach.
They'll want to save the sea lions because sea lions are cuter than salmon.
That's how environmental activism works.
Sell the sea lions to a dog food co. with the stipulation that 100% must be killed and hauled off within a month, problem solved with a profit!
The article didn't say "a" fish, it said the sea lions were killing 10% of the run.
Salmon are far more valuable economically than sea lions.
Congress needs to amend the endangered species act and the marine mammel protection acts. Problem sea lions should be shot by hunters paying a tag fee. All the money that has been wasted on playing tag with a couple of sea lions is just plain assinine.
Will they choose to save the ones which make the most money for their causes and their lawyers ?
I happen to think that the ones that WE as a society EAT are the more important ones. I don't really know that we eat sea lions, but we DO eat salmon.
These odious eco-nuts had no problem denying farmers water a few years ago. So that their salmon had enough water to spawn and run. Yet they let some sea lions kill off 10% of their precious salmon. And it can only get worse as more sea lions come for a free lunch, and a free dinner and a free breakfast buffet
LOL...I'm sure it will.
Last year a guy got tired of having sea lions get the salmon off his lines somewhere between Vancouver and Astoria. He took a shotgun with him and killed one. He got caught and was fined 5 or 6 thousand bucks and afterward he said he was prepared for the fine, he was just tired of them getting all the salmon.
It's going to real interesting to see what finally happens. I can't believe they'll just go out and start shooting but that's what needs to be done.
You up for a sea lion shoot? I'll take my .300 Winny. What you taking?
Federal regulators closed and restricted salmon fishing off the coasts of Oregon and Northern California ( 700 miles of coastline ) to protect the salmon.
There are many families and communities who depend on the fishing for food, rent and mortgage money.
Many guys might lose their boats and homes.
California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
Conservation: There are roughly 110,000 California sea lions living in the wild. The California Sea Lion is protected by Marine Mammals Protection Act, so it is illegal to kill or capture any species of sea lion in the United States and Mexico except by a special permit. Eskimos and Native Americans are allowed to hunt them for food, clothing, and traditional arts.
Behavior: The California Sea Lion is an excellent underwater swimmer. This sea lion uses underwater sonar for navigation. They come ashore to breed and to rest. The males of this species are very territorial. They set up and defend their territories when the females arrive for breeding. Stereotyped boundary maintenance displays include behaviours such as oblique stares, head shaking, barking, and lunges towards the opponent. These displays rarely result in harm to either animal. The young nurse until the next pup is born, but with time the frequency and duration of nursing periods shortens. Females will wail to their young who respond with calf-like bleats. Females will also bark and growl in aggressive interaction with other females.
Breeding: California sea lions are polygynous (one male and several females), with males establishing territories along the coasts of Southern California and Baja California. The places are often called rookeries and become very noisy because the males are always barking to defend their territory. Mating occurs during May to June, and after a gestation period of about 12 months, a pup is born in July or August. Pups may be born either on land or in water, with open eyes and the ability to vocalize. Several days after pups are born the mother will leave them in the rookery in search of food. When she returns she will sound a loud trumpeting vocalization, which elicits a bleating response from her pup(s). This calling continues until the pups are found. The identification is complete when the mother smells her pups to make sure they belong to her.
Threats to Survival: California sea lions are currently listed as threatened, however, outside of sharks and killer whales, sea lions do not have many natural threats. They are susceptible to a viral disease known as sea lion pox, believed to be transmitted by mosquitoes into open wounds. It can cause paralysis, which prevents the animal from feeding and ultimately leads to death. Evidence suggests, however, that sea lions are gradually building up a resistance to this disease. Sea lions are also known to have such diseases as pneumonia, caused by a parasitic lungworm, and a bacterial infection called leptospirosis, which affects their livers and kidneys. Sea lions are seen as a competitor with the fishing industry, however they cannot be commercially hunted so this has not risen to a true threat to the survival of the species. A major threat to their survival is ocean pollution, in the form of both oil spills and trash. The trash is often ingested, causing intestinal blockages that can be fatal. Discarded plastic products and abandoned fishing nets are additional sources of danger that often strangle, choke and/or poison these animals.
Zoo Programs: Currently there are no breeding programs for California sea lions. Due to their intelligence and ability to learn and interact with dedicated trainers, sea lions are frequently used for educational programs, such as Como Zoo's Sparky the Sea Lion Show.
Nice find on those pictures.
There is a video of him somewhere.
If he's that smart maybe the Navy could use him...
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