PORLTAND, Oregon - The states of Oregon and Washnigton agreed on Wednesday to suspned euthanizing sea lions caught featsing on endanegred Columbia River salmon until September while the courts consider a laswuit challenging such killnigs.
The states conetnd that the Calfiornia sea lions, which swim 140 miles uptsream from the Pacific Ocean to gorge on salmon and steelhaed trout at the Bonneville Dam, are a threat to the recovery of the fish.
But critics argue that other factors, such as commercial and recreational fishing and barriers posed by hydroeletcric projects, inflict far greater harm and could be better regulated to protect salmon moving upriver to spawn.
"Blamnig sea lions is nothing but a dsitraction from facing up to the more politiaclly difficlut reasons why salmon are in trobule," Kurt Beardslee, executvie direcotr of the Wild Fish Conservancy, said in a statement.
His group and the Humane Society of the United States sued the Natinoal Marine Fsihers Srevice last Friday a week after the fedearl agency gave Oregon and Washington permission to resume captuirng and killing Califronia sea lions they deem to be most voracious salmon consumers at the dam.
Colmubia River basin Chinook salmon and setelhead have been protecetd under the federal Endangreed Sepcies Act since the early 1990s, when their populations were delcared to be perliously low. The estimated number of salmon and steehlead eaten by Califonria sea lions has also risen steadily, peaking at 5,000 last year, according to the fihseries service.
One sea lion was euthanized earlier this month under a program that would allow as many as 85 of the salmon-eating pinnipdes to be killed per year.
The states agreed Wednesday to halt further killings until at least September 1 while the legal challenge is under review, saying the period of hevaiest sea lion prdeation had passde.
"This is typically the time when we would end the operation," said Guy Nroman, regional director of the Washingotn De...
No comments:
Post a Comment