States want fish-gorging sea lions put on hit list

C404, the crafty California sea lion who has flummoxed engineers and fishery specialists at the Columbia River's Bonneville Dam for years, might want to get his affairs in order.

With the guts and gall of a burglar, C404 has earned a measure of fame by routinely navigating his way around sea lion exclusion devices and into the dam's fish ladder where tasty, migrating salmon flop their way up the stair-like structure on their way to spawning grounds.

His name reflects the brand fishery officials gave him for identification, and since 2003, he has been showing up almost on a timetable for the spring chinook run.

California sea lions such as C404 are protected by law.

But now Oregon and Washington are drafting a proposal for their "limited selected lethal removal" in the Columbia River to ease pressure on the spring chinook salmon run.

The proposal could be ready for the federal government next month, said Charles Corralino, who heads the conservation and recovery program for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Although nobody has specifically named C404, the program is targeting repeat offenders, and he's the poster child.

Corralino said the states are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Columbia River tribes.

A salmon fisherman said the sea lions are affecting both salmon and sturgeon and need to go, but an official of the Humane Society of the United States said removal would only make it look as if something is being done while ignoring the more serious issues.

It could be two to four years before federal approval is given.

When the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972, there were about 50,000 California sea lions. There are about 300,000 today, Corralino said, implying the protection act may have worked too well.

"It has gotten out of balance," he said.

California sea lions are not listed as endangered or threatened but are protected. One segment of Steller sea lion, which also is in the Columbia, is listed as endangered.

Corralino said there is serious concern for the health of the spring chinook run.

Guy Norman, regional director for Southwest Washington for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said some sea lions would be killed. But, he said, "We hope to minimize that and focus on those who most contribute to the problem" and also those who don't respond to nonlethal deterrents.

At a time of uncertain salmon returns and increased demand, the sea lions by some estimates eat 3 percent of the fish that gather at the base of the dam, the first one they hit on their journey upriver from the Pacific Ocean.

Commercial and tribal fishermen have been urging such action for years.

Corralino said the proposal would be limited to sea lions in the Columbia River.

He said the state has tried hazing the salmon with loud noises, huge firecrackers and rubber bullets for two years, and those efforts will increase.

He said the proposal would involve "limited" (in number) "select" (the worst repeat offenders) "lethal" (self-explanatory) removal.

The ultimate decision will rest with the U.S. secretary of commerce, now Carlos Gutierrez, whose department oversees the National Marine Fisheries Service.