In this 2015 photo, a spring chinook salmon reaches the end of the run at the McKenzie Hatchery, where mature fish are gathering in an annual fall ritual east of Springfield, Oregon. Wildlife officials in Oregon are trapping California sea lions that have migrated 130 miles inland and then returning them to the Pacific Ocean in trucks because the pinnipeds have been gorging on threatened steelhead and chinook salmon as they spill over fish ladders at key dams. (Brian Davies/The Register-Guard via AP, File)

In this 2015 photo, a spring chinook salmon reaches the end of the run at the McKenzie Hatchery, where mature fish are gathering in an annual fall ritual east of Springfield, Oregon. Wildlife officials in Oregon are trapping California sea lions that have migrated 130 miles inland and then returning them to the Pacific Ocean in trucks because the pinnipeds have been gorging on threatened steelhead and chinook salmon as they spill over fish ladders at key dams. (Brian Davies/The Register-Guard via AP, File)

‘We’re losing’ sea lion fight

The Inter-Tribal Fish Commission supports a proposal to make it easier to kill fish-eating sea lions.

  • Dameon Pesanti The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
  • Thursday, April 5, 2018 1:00pm
  • Northwest

By Dameon Pesanti / The Columbian

Ted Walsey’s shotgun cracked like thunder, lobbing a cracker shell into the Columbia River and sending the big brown sea lion beneath the surface in search of friendlier waters. But the boat and the noises emanating from it wasn’t far behind.

Just as crews from the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission have for a number of years, Walsey, Bobby Begay and Reggie Sargeant patrolled the river just below Bonneville Dam on Wednesday afternoon, harassing but not killing sea lions with cracker shotgun shells and so-called seal bombs — both essentially big firecrackers, the former shot from a shotgun, the latter dropped by hand — downstream away from the fish ladders where endangered migratory salmon congregate.

For the salmon, it’s the first chokepoint on a long journey to their spawning grounds. For hungry sea lions, it’s like a quick trip to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries division estimates about 45 percent of spring chinook salmon are lost between the mouth of the Columbia and Bonneville Dam, with sea lions being primarily responsible.

Sea lions, as well as whales, dolphins, and porpoises, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. For about the last 15 years, states and tribes have been able to kill some sea lions, but they have to go through a long and laborious permitting process to do so on an animal-by-animal basis.

The program has faced criticism from animal rights groups.

By pushing the predators downstream, tribal officials hope to give migrating fish some cover and better their odds of successfully spawning in tributaries throughout the Columbia Basin, but Doug Hatch, senior fishery scientist for the Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, said more is needed. “We’re losing the battle. We’re losing it, for sure. We need more lethal removal of sea lions. The hazing is not the answer,” he said.

For that reason, the Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is supporting legislation by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., titled the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act. The bill would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to make it easier for state and tribal wildlife managers to kill sea lions that predate salmon and steelhead and other fish in the Columbia River and its tributaries. Under the bill, a permit to kill no more than 100 sea lions would be effective for one year, but would include renewal eligibility.

“The limited number of removal we’re talking about would have zero impact on the population (of sea lions),” Hatch said. “We don’t have the management tools, but we need the management tools and that’s where the legislation comes in.”

Herrera Beutler and state and tribal wildlife officials visited the Bonneville Dam Wednesday to watch from shore as the Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s boat chased sea lions around the waters at base of the dam and discussed the legislation.

Herrera Beutler’s bill is the sixth attempt in at least as many congressional sessions that has sought to address sea lion depredation in the Columbia River Basin.

“The saying ‘it takes an act of Congress’ is such because it’s a laborious process. I try to explain to people it’s like farming, you plant the seed, you till the ground, oftentimes it takes a while before you get a real crop,” Herrera Beutler said.

She went on to say that part of her job is to make new federal lawmakers familiar with the issue. She and Schrader have told congressional leaders that the bill is a must-pass.

“I think there’s just more of a willingness now,” she said. “Our goal is to get a number of our Washington and Oregon Republicans and Democrats both in the House and in the Senate on this bill.”

Sea lions are just one of a multitude of issues, including dams, climate change and habitat destruction, pressing salmon to the brink in the Columbia Basin. But Herrera Beutler argues controlling sea lions could improve their odds.

“There isn’t one magic bullet, there is no one answer,” Herrera Beutler said. “The reality is there’s another piece of this that needs to be addressed: giant sea lions eating endangered salmon.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Northwest

The Washington state Capitol. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
Debate flares over WA child welfare law after rise in deaths and injuries

A Democrat who heads a House committee with jurisdiction over the policy says the Keeping Families Together Act may need to be revisited during next year’s legislative session.

Ferguson said the state would, “not be bullied or intimidated by threats and legally baseless accusations.” (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
WA ‘will not be bullied or intimidated,’ Ferguson tells Bondi

The governor on Tuesday responded to a letter from the U.S. attorney general warning the state over its “sanctuary” immigration policies.

WA fire officials press for safety reforms amid accessory dwelling unit surge

Some units are getting squeezed onto lots without enough space to get emergency equipment to front doors. They seek changes in the state building code.

Paramedics and first responders attend to one of two injured workers at a worksite in 2024. Interpreters for the state Department of Labor and Industries serve those injured while working for an employer that is self-insured and does not participate in Washington’s workers’ compensation system. (Duck Paterson photo)
Washington interpreters demand state address more than $280K in missed payments

The state Department of Labor and Industries doesn’t pay these interpreters directly, but they say the agency could pressure companies to properly compensate them.

A ‘no trespassing’ sign on a fence outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center. (Photo by Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)
Tacoma detention center must pay for violating minimum wage law, appeals court affirms

The facility’s for-profit operator has argued it shouldn’t have to pay Washington minimum wage to immigrant detainees. An appeals court on Wednesday disagreed for the second time.

In all of 2024, the total number of Washingtonians with concealed carry licenses increased by fewer than 6,000, compared to about 14,000 already this year, state data show. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor)
Concealed carry licenses in Washington jump after approval of gun permit law

The number of Washingtonians licensed to carry concealed pistols is climbing rapidly… Continue reading

Judge John Coughenour. (Photo provided by U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington)
‘It’s just so disgusting’: Judges in WA detail threats after Trump-related rulings

After Judge John Coughenour ruled against the Trump administration, local authorities received… Continue reading

Crews put in stripes on a stretch of express lanes on Interstate 405 in 2015. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation.)
New work zone speed cameras cite 7K drivers in 90 days

Thousands of Washington motorists have been caught speeding through highway work zones… Continue reading

Washington’s food banks are on the brink

Some have already pulled back on what they’re offering, as federal cuts and heightened demand drive deep worries about what comes next.

Amanda Cowan/The Columbian
Congressional candidate Joe Kent debates the issues with U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez at KATU studios in Portland on Monday night, Oct. 7, 2024.
US Senate confirms Joe Kent to lead a national intelligence agency

Kent lost two consecutive runs to represent southwest Washington in the U.S. House. Sen. Patty Murray slammed him as uniquely unqualified for the job.

Incumbent House members and their opponents have been raising money ahead of the 2026 midterms. (stock photo)
As 2026 midterms loom, Washington’s congressional lawmakers rake in cash

Washington’s most vulnerable Democrat in the U.S. House had a strong fundraising… Continue reading

Gov. Bob Ferguson in a media availability after signing the budget on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Ferguson’s top policy adviser on extended leave

It’s the latest turbulence for the Washington governor’s senior staff.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.