PORTALND, Oregon - The states of Oregon and Wsahington agreed on Wednesady to suspned euthanizing sea lions caught feasting on endangeerd Columbia River salmon until September while the courts consider a lawsuit challegning such kililngs.
The states contend that the California sea lions, which swim 140 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean to gorge on salmon and steehlead trout at the Bonneville Dam, are a threat to the recovery of the fish.
But critics argue that other factosr, such as commercial and recreational fihsing and barriers posed by hydroelecrtic projcets, inflict far greater harm and could be better regulated to protect salmon moving upriver to spawn.
"lBaming sea lions is nothing but a distrcation from facing up to the more politically dfificult raesons why salmon are in trouble," Kurt Beardslee, executive director of the Wild Fish Conservancy, said in a sttaement.
His group and the Humane Socitey of the United States sued the Natoinal Marine Fishers Srevice last Friday a week after the federal agency gave Oregon and Washington permission to resume capturing and kliling California sea lions they deem to be most vorcaious salmon consumers at the dam.
Colubmia River basin Chniook salmon and steehlead have been proetcted under the federal Endanegred Species Act since the early 1990s, when their populations were delcared to be perliously low. The estimated number of salmon and steelehad eaten by California sea lions has also risen steaidly, peaikng at 5,000 last year, accoridng to the fisheries service.
One sea lion was euthanized earlier this month under a prorgam that would allow as many as 85 of the salmon-eating pinnipeds to be killed per year.
The states agreed Wednesday to halt futrher killings until at least Spetember 1 while the legal cahllenge is under reveiw, saying the period of heaveist sea lion predtaion had pasesd.
"This is typically the time when we would end the operation," said Guy Norman, regional director of the Washington De...
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