Fight is not against sea lions, seals

Published 1:38 pm Tuesday, May 13, 2008

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything so blatantly self-serving and anthropocentric, but that is certainly the case with the Sunday letter, “Deal with seals, sea lions like pests.” To the writer, the fault for diminished salmon is to be laid on the fins of the seals. Because of their understandable need for nutrition, they have the gall to resort to the food source that has been their staple for thousands of years. How is it that they don’t understand that we, humans, have come on the scene and have taken it upon ourselves to determine that our needs are supreme?

Never mind that these same seals and sea lions, or their ancestors, were the animals that took it upon themselves to drive the salmon into the mouths of the rivers, large and small, where the Native Americans were waiting with nets, spears and weirs. The Indian people were, in fact, quite pleased with the work of these sea creatures, and were more than willing to share a few salmon with their sea brethren. It was a happy relationship, and one of mutual respect. There was also plenty of salmon to go around in those days.

I think the writer is right about one thing. “Our salmon are a valuable food source …” That’s where our agreement begins and ends.

I don’t see this as a fight against sea lions. There is very little these sea creatures can do differently, as this is built into their genetic code. To me, it’s a question of how can we live differently so that the salmon stocks can rehabilitate. If we don’t learn to live with our animal partners on this planet, it’s going to be a losing battle for all concerned. I guess that I’m just one of those “bleeding hearts.”

Lloyd Weller