Sitkaspruce
Well-Known Member
The US is going to kill some seals.......
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A federal agency has authorized the "intentional legal
taking" of individually identified 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, said 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.
The order identifies about 60 sea lions "authorized for immediate removal."
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 during the spring chinook
run for years. 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.
The sea lions at the base of the dam, by some estimates, take up to 4
percent of the spring chinook run headed upriver to spawn, depending on the
size of the run.
Opponents of the kill have said sea lions are a highly visible and
politically convenient target when the real problem lies elsewhere, such as
the hydroelectric dams. The Humane Society of the United States and other
groups cite other hurdles facing fish, such as the deterioration of spawning
grounds, bird predation of salmon smolts headed to the ocean and
agricultural runoff and other pollution.
Nonlethal attempts to keep the sea lions away from the dam, such as rubber
buckshot, loud noises and pyrotechnics, generally were deemed failures. Some
sea lions trapped and taken to the mouth of the Columbia River 140 miles
downriver returned to the dam in two or three days.
The authorization is valid until June 30, 2012, and can be extended for five
years; it can be also revoked by the National Marine Fisheries Service with
72 hours notice.
It says the states must appoint a standing committee of biologists and
veterinarians to determine how to capture, hold and, if necessary, euthanize
sea lions. Moreover, the states must do what they can to retrieve the
carcasses.
The order says the sea lions can be killed by a qualified marksman, who may
shoot the animals at short range with shotguns loaded with 00 buckshot or at
greater distances using a hunting rifle with ammunition of a minimum caliber
of .240.
Sea lion populations have soared since they and other marine mammals were
covered under the 1972 act. Though no longer endangered, they remain
protected except under the amendment that allows removal at the request of
states.
Steller sea lions, which are larger and tend to feed on sturgeon instead of
salmon, are endangered and are not subject to lethal removal under the
decision.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is to reconvene the task force after
three years to evaluate the effectiveness of the lethal takings.
SS
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A federal agency has authorized the "intentional legal
taking" of individually identified 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, said 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.
The order identifies about 60 sea lions "authorized for immediate removal."
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 during the spring chinook
run for years. 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.
The sea lions at the base of the dam, by some estimates, take up to 4
percent of the spring chinook run headed upriver to spawn, depending on the
size of the run.
Opponents of the kill have said sea lions are a highly visible and
politically convenient target when the real problem lies elsewhere, such as
the hydroelectric dams. The Humane Society of the United States and other
groups cite other hurdles facing fish, such as the deterioration of spawning
grounds, bird predation of salmon smolts headed to the ocean and
agricultural runoff and other pollution.
Nonlethal attempts to keep the sea lions away from the dam, such as rubber
buckshot, loud noises and pyrotechnics, generally were deemed failures. Some
sea lions trapped and taken to the mouth of the Columbia River 140 miles
downriver returned to the dam in two or three days.
The authorization is valid until June 30, 2012, and can be extended for five
years; it can be also revoked by the National Marine Fisheries Service with
72 hours notice.
It says the states must appoint a standing committee of biologists and
veterinarians to determine how to capture, hold and, if necessary, euthanize
sea lions. Moreover, the states must do what they can to retrieve the
carcasses.
The order says the sea lions can be killed by a qualified marksman, who may
shoot the animals at short range with shotguns loaded with 00 buckshot or at
greater distances using a hunting rifle with ammunition of a minimum caliber
of .240.
Sea lion populations have soared since they and other marine mammals were
covered under the 1972 act. Though no longer endangered, they remain
protected except under the amendment that allows removal at the request of
states.
Steller sea lions, which are larger and tend to feed on sturgeon instead of
salmon, are endangered and are not subject to lethal removal under the
decision.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is to reconvene the task force after
three years to evaluate the effectiveness of the lethal takings.
SS
