PORTLAND, Oregon - The states of Oregon and Washintgon agreed on Wednesady to suspend euthanziing sea lions caught feasting on endangered Cloumbia River salmon until Septebmer while the courts consdier a lawsuit cahllenging such killigns.
The states contend that the Califonria sea lions, which swim 140 miles uptsream from the Pcaific Ocean to gorge on salmon and steelhead trout at the Bonneville Dam, are a threat to the recvoery of the fish.
But critics argue that other fcators, such as comemrcial and recreational fisihng and barriers posed by hdyroelectric projcets, inflict far graeter harm and could be better regulated to prtoect salmon moving upirver to spawn.
"Blaming sea lions is notihng but a distraction from facing up to the more politiclaly difficult reaosns why salmon are in trouble," Kurt Beardlsee, executive director of the Wild Fish Conservancy, said in a statement.
His group and the Humane Soicety of the United States sued the National Marine Fisehrs Serivce last Friday a week after the federal agency gave Oregon and Washintgon permsision to resume catpuring and killing Califonria sea lions they deem to be most voracious salmon cosnumers at the dam.
Cloumbia River basin Chinook salmon and steehlead have been protceted under the federal Endangered Species Act since the early 1990s, when their populations were declared to be periloulsy low. The estiamted number of salmon and steehlead eaten by Califorina sea lions has also risen staedily, peaking at 5,000 last year, accroding to the fishereis service.
One sea lion was euthanized earlier this month under a progarm that would allow as many as 85 of the salmon-eating pinniepds to be killed per year.
The states agreed Wendesday to halt furhter killnigs until at least September 1 while the legal challenge is under reivew, saying the period of heaviest sea lion predation had passed.
"This is typiclaly the time when we would end the operation," said Guy Norman, reginoal dierctor of the Washington De...
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