3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018
Oregon can kill sea lions at Willamette Falls
Feds approve
plan to try to
save salmon
90
th
Birthday Celebration
By KALE WILLIAMS
The Oregonian
PORTLAND — Officials
from the National Marine Fish-
eries Service have approved an
application from the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wild-
life to kill California sea lions
at Willamette Falls in an effort
to try to save the state’s belea-
guered winter steelhead and
spring Chinook.
Protected under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act, the
state needed federal approval
to take lethal action against the
pinnipeds, which have been
observed gorging themselves
on endangered fish at the foot
of the iconic waterfall.
“This is good news for
the native runs of salmon and
steelhead in the Willamette
River,” said Shaun Clements,
a policy analyst for the state
on the sea lion issue. “Before
this decision, the state’s hands
were tied as far as limiting sea
lion predation on the Willa-
mette River.”
The agency said that sea
lions were responsible for con-
suming roughly 25 percent
of the steelhead run in 2017.
The state applied to kill the
sea lions “because their analy-
ses showed that the high lev-
els of predation by sea lions
meant there was an almost 90
percent probability that one
of the upper Willamette steel-
head runs would go extinct,”
the wildlife agency said in a
statement.
Predation was lower for
spring Chinook, between 7
and 9 percent, but the preda-
tors still increased the species’
chances of extinction by 10 to
15 percent, the agency said.
Clements
said
lethal
removal was only looked at as
a last resort.
“We did put several years’
effort into nonlethal deter-
rence, none of which worked,”
he said in a statement. “The
Viola Leonhardt is
turning 90!
Saturday • Nov 17 th
1 pm -4 pm
Suomi Hall
244 W Marine Drive
Astoria
AP Photo/Don Ryan
A California sea lion that was trapped at Willamette Falls waits to be released into the
Pacific Ocean near Newport. The sea lions swam back to the falls.
unfortunate reality is that, if we
want to prevent extinction of
the steelhead and Chinook, we
will have to lethally remove
sea lions at this location.”
After decades of hunting,
the estimated number of Cal-
ifornia sea lions dipped as
low as 10,000 in the 1950s,
a sparse population inhabit-
ing the waters stretching from
Mexico to Alaska. In 1972,
President Richard Nixon
signed the Marine Mammal
Protection Act, which barred
the killing of sea lions, among
other pinnipeds and cetaceans,
except under very specific
circumstances.
Fast forward to 2018 and
California sea lions have seen a
resounding recovery through-
out their range. Some 300,000
of the animals now swim in
the waters of the Pacific and
haul out on beaches, outcrop-
pings and public docks from
the Channel Islands in South-
ern California to Pier 39 in
San Francisco to the fish pro-
cessing plants in Astoria at
the mouth of the Columbia
River, often numbering in the
thousands.
Shea Steingass, marine
mammal program lead for the
state, said that, at their peak,
there are between 50 and 100
sea lions that congregate at
Willamette Falls.
“Removal of these sub-
adult and adult males will
have no impact on viability
of the sea lion population but
will greatly improve the out-
look for threatened upper Wil-
lamette winter steelhead runs,”
she said.
Steingass said there are
roughly a dozen sea lions that
have become habituated to the
falls and return every year.
Critics of the plan have long
said that salmon runs have
been declining on the Willa-
mette and Columbia rivers for
a variety of reasons including
degrading water quality, sea
lions and numerous dams that
impede the natural migration
of salmon.
Sharon Young, marine
issues field director for the
Humane Society of the United
States, said killing more sea
lions fixes nothing and is a
“draconian solution.”
“It’s a complete distraction
from dealing with the actual
problems facing the fish,”
Young, who has participated
in marine mammal protections
work groups since 1992, told
The Oregonian last year.
To kill a sea lion, the state
must meet one of two criteria
mandated by the federal gov-
ernment. The animals must
be observed between the falls
and the mouth of the Clacka-
mas River or be seen preying
on salmonids.
When either of those cri-
teria are met, “will be trans-
ported to a secure facility and
humanely euthanized by a vet-
erinary staff,” the state said in
a news release. The agency
“requested and was granted
authority to remove up to 1
percent of the population’s
‘potential biological removal’
level, a metric that translates
to a maximum of 93 animals a
year on the lower Willamette.”
Look at this pretty lady
who is turning 80.
Happy Birthday Mom,
Gram, & Great grandma…
Much love from
The Gang!
Yes For Astoria Kids
Would like to thank everyone who contributed to
the successful passage of the Astoria School Bond.
We’d list your names, but there are just too many.
So collectively we want to thank all those who:
Served on the Facilities Planning Committee
Celebrating 30 years
Worked with the Political Action Committee
of community service & motocycles
Contributed funds or helped with fund raising
North Coast ABATE
Made in-kind contributions
Signed postcards sent to voters
Spaghetti Feed
and
Auction
Endorsed the bond in the Voters Pamphlet and
on our website
All-you-can-eat spaghetti, bread,
salad and dessert goodies
Went door-to-door delivering the message and
getting out the vote
5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17
Allowed pictures on their children to appear in
campaign mailings
Astoria Moose Lodge
420 17 th St.
Wrote letters of support to the Editor
$10 Adults • $3 Kids
12 & under
Proceeds
support
area
food
Banks
North Coast ABATE has donated more than $30,000 to
Clatsop Community Ation Regional Food Bank and other
area good works, in addition to cleaning up roads and
providing trade scholarships for area high school students.
Participated in phone banks
Carried “Did You Vote?” signs outside our schools
Made presentations to local organizations
large & small
Displayed yard signs and posters
Volunteered time, effort, and talents
We especially want to thank the teachers, classified staff
and administrative staff of the Astoria School District.
Your hard work, integrity and dedication over many
years created the trust without which the bond effort
could not have succeeded.
And finally, on behalf of all our children, we thank YOU,
the voters of the District, for your willingness to tax
yourselves for the safety, necessary renovations and
educational improvements to our schools. WE WILL
NOT LET YOU DOWN.
For more information, email info@northcoastabate.com
COMING DEC. 1: ANNUAL HOLIDAY RUN/CHILI FEED
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Skip Hauke & David Oser
Co-chairs of Yes for Astoria Kids