Agency OKs the killing of sea lions to protect salmon
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A federal agency has authorized the killing of some California sea lions that prey on migrating salmon and steelhead at the base of Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River.
The lethal removal is limited to sea lions deemed to have a significant effect on the decline or recovery of federally protected salmon and steelhead stocks, and the offenders must have been seen eating salmonids between Jan. 1 and May 31 of any year, the National Marine Fisheries Service said in an order obtained by The Associated Press late Monday.
Sea lions are protected under the 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act, and the allowable kill would be limited to about 85 animals.
The ruling, scheduled to be released Tuesday, identifies about 60 sea lions "authorized for immediate removal." Sea lions captured in traps must be held for at least 48 hours before they are euthanized. In that time, it will be determined if a permanent holding facility can be found, such as a zoo, aquarium or research facility.
An amendment to the 1972 act permits the killing of sea lions if Columbia River states ask for and get federal permission. Oregon and Washington asked for permission in 2006, and Idaho offered its support.
Permission was granted only once before -- in the 1990s -- for sea lions in the Ballard Locks in Puget Sound in Washington, where five animals were identified as offenders who drastically diminished a steelhead run that has yet to recover.
Three were taken in by an aquatic park before they were killed. The fate of the other two has not been made public.
The list of sea lions specifically authorized for immediate removal includes the one branded C404, who became something of a celebrity because of his ability to work his way into the fish ladders of the dam, and even into the window where upriver-bound salmon are counted to determine the size of later runs. Many sea lions have been coming to the dams for years during the spring chinook run. Some are identifiable by brands -- the "C" designation means the Columbia River -- and others by scars or markings.
The letter announcing the decision was sent to Roy Elicker, director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The ruling followed three meetings of a task force comprised of commercial and sport fishermen, treaty tribes and animal rights interests.
By some estimates, the sea lions at the base of the dam take up to 4 percent of the spring chinook run headed upriver to spawn.
