Willamette Falls Sea Lions: Feds Give State Go Ahead To Kill Some

OREGON CITY, OR – Take a good look at the California sea lions at Willamette Falls. They may not be there too much longer.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has permission to kill up to 93 of them.

The state is trying to protect the winter steelhead and spring Chinook salmon runs at the falls — both of which are in danger of extinction because of the sea lions. Last year the sea lions ate 25 percent of the steelhead run, and experts believe that if nothing is done, there is a 90 percent chance that one of the fish species will go extinct.

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The state had to get permission because the sea lions are protected by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. So they had to ask the National Marine Fisheries Service for clearance to move ahead.

The feds approved the plan.

Dr. Shaun Clemente, who analyzes sea lions for ODFW, says the decision by the feds is "good news for the salmon." Before this decision, the state’s hands were tied as far as limiting sea lion predation on the Willamette River.

"We did put several years effort into non-lethal deterrence, none of which worked," the agency said. "The 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.”

The feds say that for Oregon fish and wildlife offcials to remove a sea lion, they'll have to meet one of two criteria: the sea lion must be seen between the falls and the mouth of he Clackamas River for two days – or be seen eating a salmon.

If the sea lion is removed, it will be moved to a secure facility where the state says it will be "humanely euthanized."

Dr. Shea Steingass, who runs the Marine Mammal Program at ODFW, says the removal of these sea lions won't affect their overall population.

"Removal of these sub-adult and adult males will have no impact on viability of the sea lion population but will greatly improve the outlook for threatened upper Willamette winter steelhead runs," Steingass says.

Clements added that the proposal is about striking a balance between the recovery of imperiled salmon and steelhead and the ongoing conservation of sea lions.

Photo via Rick Swarz/ODFW