Posted on 10/24/2013 10:28:02 AM PDT by nickcarraway
At least three sea lions that washed ashore in Malibu earlier this month died of gunshot wounds, according to wildlife rescuers.
Jonsie Ross with the California Wildfire Center said sea lion shootings happen every year in October when squid fishing season begins.
“When the fishing season starts, October 1, yeah, we actually have documented more sea lion shootings,” she said.
The process to attract the squid to the surface of the water, which involves switching on a light, also attracts sea lions.
The coast off Malibu is a popular area for squid fishing.
Donna Collins and her daughter were watching fishermen in Malibu one night when they said they were shocked to hear gunshots.
“We started hearing the gunshots. And they weren’t M-80s, they weren’t flash bombs. They were rifles,” Collins said.
CBS2′s Brittney Hopper reported that sea lions and other mammals are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. Fishermen are allowed to use nonlethal means to scare the sea lions away.
Diane Pleschner-Steele, the director of the California Wetfish Producers Assn., which represents the squid fishery, said fishermen who were recently fishing in Malibu are unaware of any shootings.
In a statement, Pleschner-Steele said, “Shooting is prohibited under the law, and CWPA members do not condone illegal activity.”
A person could be fined $10,000 and face possible jail time if convicted of shooting a sea lion.
How can their little flippers pull a trigger?
Bush’s fault.
Does Mark Kelly have an alibi?
Where was Barbra Streisand when this happened?
Hopefully they were shot with lead free bullets.
These guys are dicks.
Boo hoo, Mommy. A bad man shooted seal.
Shark hooks, steel leader and 20 lb cannonballs make no noise and leave no evidence to wash ashore.
Did they insult The Obama, The Messiah, The Won?
Yeh right, Pinnocchio.
Long long ago, in a different life, a girlfriend and I would sit on the boulders of Pebble Beach at night watching the sea lions. It makes me a little ill to think of anyone shooting them.
Pebble Beach? I have seen them on 17 Mile Drive but not there. That girlfriend must have loved you.
I love the sea lions. There aren’t tons of them here. I am probably looking out at some of the ships each night that might be committing this. I’m sad about it.
Her daddy’s house was right on the Pebble Beach coast. We walked over a grassy area, maybe part of the golf course, that was right behind the house, and the coast was maybe 200 yards or less away. There were quite a few sea lions there.
Was this gang-related?
Plus the crabs get a lovely meal. Everybody wins. Except maybe the sea lion. And if anyone in California cares, we got about 10,000...OK, probably not that many...of your excess male sea lion population off the Oregon coast. Maybe some of them will go back.
California Sea Lions in Oregon are all males...population overflow from the breeding grounds. Their economic impact exceeds their aesthetic appeal. And, yeah, I go look at ‘em. They’re really neat, and you have to admire the way they deal with violent weather, but, cripes, enough is enough.
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