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| NOAA |
| The government is targeting sea lions at Bonneville Dam. |
On April 1, The HSUS negotiated a temporary stay of execution for sea lions with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the states of Washington and Oregon.
NMFS had authorized the states to begin shooting as many as 85 sea lions this April to prevent them from consuming a mere 0.4 to 4.2 percent of salmon and steelhead near Bonneville Dam, even though the States have recently proposed to increase fishing quotas by 33 percent (from 9 to 12 percent) in light of expected record Chinook salmon runs for 2008.
The HSUS and Wild Fish Conservation, along with individual citizens, have filed suit to block the 5-year program that could result in the deaths of 425 California sea lions.
Under the agreement reached this week, no sea lions will be killed until the court can hear arguments on The HSUS's request to halt the entire program. The Court is expected to make a decision on or before April 18, 2008.
FACTS:
While birds, other fish, sea lions, and fishermen all kill salmon, the primary threats are from loss of quality spawning habitat and dams blocking their normal migratory routes up and down river.
The major causes of salmon losses are:
- Dams: NMFS estimates the Federal Columbia River Power System kills 16.8 percent of adult Snake River Basin Steelhead and 59.9 percent of juveniles.
- Fishing: NMFS authorizes the incidental take of between 5.5 and 17 percent of the Upper Columbia spring Chinook and Upper Snake River spring/summer Chinook.
- Birds: NMFS estimated that avian predators consumed 18 percent of juvenile salmonids reaching the Columbia River estuary in 1998.
- Research: In 2003, NMFS authorized a research permit to take 4.8 percent of listed sockeye.
The plan to shoot sea lions coincides with estimates that this spring's Columbia River salmon run is likely to be the third largest in almost 30 years, and a likely 200 percent increase in total fish over 2007.
