Time to break out the rubber bullets

Oregon and Washington agreed to suspend euthanizing sea lions caught feasting on endangered Columbia River salmon until September while the courts consider a lawsuit challenging such killings.

The Wild Fish Conservancy and the Humane Society of the United States sued the National Marine Fishers Service last week after the federal agency gave Oregon and Washington permission to resume capturing and killing California sea lions.

"Blaming sea lions is nothing but a distraction from facing up to the more politically difficult reasons why salmon are in trouble," Kurt Beardslee, executive director of the Wild Fish Conservancy, said in a statement.

LINK (Via:Reuters)

Comments

[JP2]

...y'know 'sound suppressors' are legal to use in WA and OR (wink,wink,nudge,nudge)

[ike]

the animals were here long before the man, or the damn dams-----maybe the government should start euthanizing some of these other problem causers, some of their own

[Rob Russell]

Bravo, Mr. Beardslee. I could not agree more.

[tyvyvbyubu]

ike has a valid point, the humans are the problem. Remove the humans then no need for a dam, no dam then fish will swim freely up river, no more seals steeling fish that are in the non existing dam. Simple problem, get rid of the dam and all these problems will not exist ether.

[Dale VonBargen]

We created an unnatural ambush point and failed to ask what creatures would prey on seals and sealions in this environment. A humane way of hazing or removing seals and sealions would be a poor substitute for eating them but it may be the only way to control the unending banquet we've prepared for the gluttenous hoard of seals and sealions. Waiting until September is foolhardy. A healthy river system with only natural hindrances impeding the fishes migratory progress would allow for the natural predation the seals and sealions impose. Without some control over them now what we have is an unending buffet. I'm all for a solution that benefits seals as well as fish but I feel like only the fish are being made to pay the bill for our initial interference and we must take actions that level the field in ways beneficial for the fish.