For Immediate Release:                                

Thursday, March 29, 2007        

Contacts:          

Ciaran Clayton, Rep. Baird, 202-225-3536 or 202-557-0165

Jessica Gleason, Rep. Hastings, 202-225-5816 or 202-225-4466  

Baird, Hastings Seek End to Sea Lion Predation on Endangered Salmon

Lawmakers Renew Push for Bipartisan Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act  

Washington , D.C. – As sea lions return to the Bonneville Dam this year, Congressman Brian Baird and Congressman Doc Hastings are renewing efforts to reduce the predation of endangered Columbia River salmon.  The lawmakers today introduced the “Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act” which allows for lethal removal of the most aggressive sea lions in order to deter predation and help protect endangered salmon as they return to spawn.   

“Unfortunately, the news this year isn’t any better than last; California sea lions are already setting their sights on this year’s salmon run,” said Congressman Baird.  “So far, all other methods to deter these aggressive sea lions have not worked, and the impact to endangered salmon has been great.  This bill is another tool that will be used in limited situations to deter sea lions from getting a salmon free-for-all.” 

“After trying every trick in the book, this is the only option left to stop the sea lions,” said Hastings .  “The citizens of the Northwest simply cannot afford to pay hundreds of millions every year to protect salmon and then just sit by while sea lions gorge themselves on thousands of endangered fish.”  

            The Baird-Hastings plan creates a temporary expedited process for the states of Washington and Oregon and the four Columbia River treaty tribes to obtain permits for the lethal removal of a limited number of California sea lions preying on salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River .  The streamlined process can be used in cases where non-lethal methods to discourage sea lion predation have been shown to be ineffective.  

            California sea lions are having a significant impact on spring salmon returns.  In recent years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has observed that thousands of returning salmon are killed by sea lions in the area around Bonneville Dam alone.    

            Despite dramatic population increases in recent decades, California sea lions, like all marine mammals, enjoy strong federal protection making it virtually impossible to remove them.  Under current law it can take 3 to 5 years for wildlife managers to get permission from the federal government to remove aggressive sea lions.  The existing process has never been successfully used.   

Safeguards are included in the bill to ensure that the overall California sea lion population is not impacted.  

Original cosponsors of the Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act are Congressman Norm Dicks and Congressman Greg Walden.