States' request to kill sea lions is controversial

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For three years, the California sea lions dining on endangered salmon below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River have been blasted with rubber buckshot, chased by boats, harassed by firecrackers and rockets, and subjected to irritating noises from underwater speakers.

It hasn't worked. In increasing numbers, sea lions continue to feast on salmon runs that are struggling to survive.

But now the sea lions could face a death sentence. Washington state, Oregon and Idaho together have asked permission to kill more than 80 sea lions a year. Legislation to expedite the request was introduced in late March in the U.S. House.

In the battle between sea lions and the thousands of salmon heading upstream to spawn, both sides have picked up important allies. Backers of the salmon include the three states, Indian tribes and four members of Congress. Backing the sea lions: the Humane Society of the United States.

Two of the nation's pre-eminent environmental laws are involved, the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

It's a standoff no one really wanted.

"It's a frustrating dilemma," said U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, who supports eliminating some sea lions. "I am not happy about it, but the trend lines show salmon runs decreasing and sea-lion populations growing."

State wildlife officials agree.

"As resource managers, we face choices that sometimes aren't desirable," said Guy Norman, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's regional director in Vancouver. "But we have to make these decisions."

Before passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, California sea lions were rarely sighted in the 140-mile stretch of river between the Pacific Ocean and Bonneville Dam, the first of the 19 huge hydroelectric dams on the mainstream of the Columbia and its largest tributary, the Snake River.

The numbers of California sea lions had dwindled to fewer than 10,000 before Congress acted. Until 1972, Washington and Oregon paid bounties for sea lions killed in the Columbia, and a state-sanctioned hunter was employed.

Now, an estimated 300,000 California sea lions inhabit the Pacific, breeding off Southern California and chasing food as far north as Puget Sound.

On a typical day, a dozen or so can be spotted below Bonneville Dam. As the spring chinook runs peak in late April, between 80 and 85 have been seen on a single day.

At the same time that the sea-lion population was expanding, salmon were in sharp decline. The fish runs were decimated by the dams, habitat destruction and other factors, rather than such predatory pinnipeds as sea lions.

Critics say the sea-lion issue is little more than a smokescreen to hide the fact that little has been done to restore the runs and that hard choices involving knocking down dams, restoring habitat or severely restricting fishing haven't been made.

"It's distracting attention from the real issues," said Sharon Young, the Humane Society's field director for marine issues.