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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2018)
JANUARY 26, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A15 Signifi cant impact of seals and sea lions by G.I. Wilson Wherever groups of steel- headers get together, sooner or later the conversation turns to seals and sea lions. Despite what fi sh biolo- gists theorize, these fi shermen believe seals and sea lions have an impact on the number of returning fi sh. When fi shing is slow, and the weather miserable, it be- comes easy to visualize a colony of hungry seals or sea lions, lurking around the head of tidewater, gorging them- selves on fi sh that never fi nd their way upstream to some anxious fi shermen’s offering. Most fi shermen working streams near the ocean have seen, or heard, stories of seals and sea lions miles upriver catching fi sh. These fi shermen have caught, or have seen others catch, fi sh with ugly gashes caused by some hungry pred- ator. A few years back TV and newspapers showed pictures of an infamous sea lion in the Puget Sound area, gulping down steelhead, confi rmed the steelheaders’ suspicions. It was a typical December day on Oregon’s Nestucca River. Some fi ve miles from the ocean, the ever present “Or- egon mist” was working its way down the sleeves and collars of the half dozen steel- headers. These “Bailey Drift Regu- lars” had been here since early light. There had only been the sound of fast fl owing wa- ter, gurgling past insulated hip boots, and tiny “splats” as drift lures and lead weight ex- plored the far reaches of the drift. A bored angler broke the silence, “Did you read the report by that Fish and Wild- life Biologist who said after studying seal feces for two years he had concluded seals don’t catch enough steelhead to have a signifi cant impact on the run?” Well, during the next few minutes the air warmed con- siderably as several fi shless steelheaders described that particular biologist’s ancestry, while comparing his intellect to that of some hapless fi sh- erman who apparently had experienced some diffi culty in pouring an “uncontrolled substance” out of his boot with directions on the heel. My partner, Ger, who had been experiencing a rare unproductive season, added “If that biologist had done a study of my feces this season, he would have concluded I sure as hell haven’t had an impact on the run either.” THE BOTTOM LINE Today, we are looking at the extinction of the historic Willamette and Santiam Riv- ers steelhead run. Only a few years back the run was in the thousands. Pinaped numbers have mushroomed along the coast- line. In a relatively short pe- riod of time, sea lion numbers have jumped from 25,000 to over 300,000. Pause for a few seconds and try to think about how many tons of fi sh it takes to feed them. Our Willamette River and its run of salmon and steel- head are being targeted by these voracious critters. The falls at Oregon City have become a feeding haven. Fish are restricted to a small area and become “sitting ducks.” Frustrated anglers watch as these endangered species are ripped apart by powerful ca- nine teeth. Pat Hogland, editor of Salmon Trout Journal, in Tide Mag- azine summed up the crisis on the Willamette River: The situation has become so dire on the Willamette that experts predict several runs of wild, winter steelhead will become extinct if nothing is done. Biologists and scientists for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) estimate that 25 percent of these wild, Endangered Spe- Submitted/Donald Koskela A sea lion gulps down a steelhead. cies Act (ESA) listed winter steelhead, were consumed by California and stellar sea lions at the Willamette River Falls in 2017. According to counts at the falls, only 512 wild steelhead returned to upper Willamette, the lowest on re- cord. ODFW offi cials say there is a 90 percent chance that at least one wild steelhead population will go extinct as a direct result of sea lion pre- dation. We know what the prob- lem is and have seen this coming for about a decade, we just couldn’t take action to prevent it,” explains Dr. Shaun Clements from the ODFW. Clements is talking about the Marine Mammal Protec- tion Act (MMPA) which took away individual state’s rights to manage marine mam- mals. It was passed to protect whales and harbor seals. Pinaped problems have been well documented. A congresswoman from Wash- ington State has been val- iantly attempting to change the MMPA to protect salmon and steelhead. Our Oregon contingency has been silent on the issue. Of course, this comes as no great surprise to the angling and hunting community, since they have consistently represented the Portland Metro dollar vs. scientifi c fi sh and wildlife management. TOPPLE, continued from Page 13 Leading 49-19, Alfaro and four freshmen started the fourth quarter. With four points by Alfaro, six from Proctor, four by Kennedy Buss and two each from Leah Doutt and Annie-Leigh Besa, the Lady Celts outscored North Salem in the period 18-15. Two players, Dana Rome- ro and Aaliyah Fitzke scored all of North Salem’s points. Romero led all scorers with 24 points and Fitzke added 10. McNary’s boys (13-4, 8-1) also won big on Tuesday, de- feating the Vikings 85-51. The Celtics led just 35-29 at intermission before out- scoring North Salem 50-22 in the second half. Chandler Cavell fi nished with 18 points and six re- bounds. Andrew Jones had 12 points. Boston Smith added 11 points and six rebounds. McNary hosts Sprague on Friday, Jan. 26 beginning with KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley McNary junior Sabella Alfaro had 10 points and six rebounds on Tuesday, Jan. 23 against North Salem. the girls game at 5:45 p.m. The Sprague boys are 14-2 overall, 9-0 in league play and No. 1 in the OSAA power rankings. The Celtics are ranked fi fth. The Olympians defeated McNary at Sprague 70-62 on Dec. 15. 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