Vigilantes surface in sea lion control - AP

Source: Associated Press

Vigilantes surface in sea lion control

By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jun 24, 10:55 PM ET

CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. - Above the spillways of Bonneville Dam,
Darrell Schmidt patroled with his shotgun, drawing a bead on
furry brown California sea lion heads popping up from the
Columbia River and blasting off a beanbag round.

All spring he was part of a nonlethal, and not very effective,
effort to keep the federally protected animals from gobbling
threatened spring chinook salmon as they schooled up at the
dam's fish ladders en route to upriver spawning grounds.

-snip-

Killing any protected marine mammal can bring stiff fines and
jail time. Oregon, Washington and Idaho are in the process of
getting permission to kill some of the more troublesome animals
under the 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act that shields
them. It can take years.

Some congressmen are trying to fast-track the process of
allowing "lethal removal" of some of the worst repeat
offenders.

-snip-

In March, according to Brian Gorman of the National Marine
Fisheries Service in Seattle, a half-dozen sea lions were
found dead in Washington's Puget Sound and others were
found dead on beaches. All had been shot.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_on_sc/apn_man_vs__sea_lion