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.
Don’t Lose Money from a ZILLOW ZESTIMATE
CALL BOB FIRST
Keizer’s go-to Realtor with over 16 years in
the real estate & mortgage lending industry
Call or Text
503-983-4086
3975 River Rd N
Suite 3 - Keizer
bobshack 1 @gmail.com
Get fit in 2018
GYM ONLY
$20
$50
$180
PER
MONTH
PER
QUARTER
PER
YEAR
GYM + CLASSES
$40
$99
$384
PER
MONTH
PER
QUARTER
PER
YEAR
S ilver
MEMBERSHIP
Gold
MEMBERSHIP
CLASSES: Tone Your Bones, Dance Fitness, Yoga, SilverSneakers,
Tai Chi, Flexibility & Functional Movements, Total Body Circuit
We accept SILVER SNEAKERS and SILVER & FIT
fitness
center
503-588-6303
2615 Portland Rd NE
Salem, OR 97301
NO CONTRACT,
NEVER ANY
JOINING FEE
BOB
SHACKELFORD
Broker
Bob Shackelford
is a licensed real
estate broker
in Oregon.