U.S. government sanctions limited sea lion killings

Source: Reuters

U.S. government sanctions limited sea lion killings

By Teresa Carson

PORTLAND, Oregon | Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:17am EDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. government has sanctioned the limited killing of sea lions, which have feasted on endangered Columbia River salmon, in the states of Oregon and Washington.

The decision on Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marked the latest reversal in the federal government's position on sanctioned killing of California sea lions.

It upset animal rights advocates, who argue the creatures are unfairly blamed for low fish stocks.

The hungry sea lions swim 140 miles upstream and cluster at the Bonneville Dam, on the border between Oregon and Washington state, to eat salmon and steelhead trout as the fish head up the Columbia River to spawn. That is seen by the states as a threat to the recovery of the fish.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/16/us-sealions-kill-idUSBRE82F09720120316