Let's get it on!

[Wilbur Kookmeyer]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pu98c1h0PRs

[Hermgruf]

deleting all my posts.

[Neck Deep]

Tear 'em down and we'll have to adapt--- just like lil' snowy plover has to adapt to our trucks on the beach.

[Gazsurf]

It seems that we have once again endangered one species while putting a stay of execution on one of it's predators..... we have at least attempted to start lessening the impacts of humans on salmon loss, don't know if it's too late though.

[SoCalBarger]

I've personally seen large, knothead seals catching salmon in the Alsea, eat the stomach, throw the rest away, and repeat, over and over and over.
The seal population has exploded since being put on the endangered species list.
Culling them at this point is a good thing for the dwindling salmon populations along the PNW.
Rip the dams out as well.

[gills]

The Stellar and California Sea Lions have increased their population by about 6% a year since being listed on the Endangered Species list. So, by most criteria, it seems reasonable to say that they're recovering their populations.

But, on principle, I would defend the Endangered Species Act as absolute. Creating a temporary stay of it so you can shoot them would mean that the Endangered Species Act doesn't really offer protection. Setting a precedent of temporarily lifting the ban on hunting endangered animals when its convenient will lead to abuses.

Beyond that-- Where is the data that 71 (amount that can be killed) Sea Lions are the cause of the salmon runs going to hell? Methinks its something else and to focus time and debate on this, when every salmon recovery plan that comes through the pipes from the federal government has been thrown out as illegal by the state justice department is where we need to focus our attention.

Damns are problems. But they give us a lot of renewable energy. If we shut down bonneville, we have to burn more coal. Which sucks too.

But what is astonishing is that Salmon is a huge industry in Oregon, and is part of the very fabric of the state's identity, and yet all we can come up with is shooting a few sea lions? Come on, it ain't going to work. Regardless of the moral/wildlife management issues, this is a stupid policy for salmon recovery. Even in rivers where sea lions don't chase salmon, they're still not running. HHHmmmmm....maybe its time to quit diverting so much water from the streams for agriculture in the desert? Reducing flow, increases river temperature, which kills salmon. That's the phucking cause.

[Dolphin]

The only way to fix the problem is to work on the root cause; Sea lions are not the cause here, over fishing from commercial fishing industry, along with many dams is the problem. Tear down the dams; Give the fish a better chance. The Dam does supply so much power, but at what cost. Alternatives could be to use greener technology with using rain water run off to power micro-hydro systems, Solar Hot water systems, and solar panels. Not all people will be able to use this, but if everyone did a part at choosing energy sources that do not impact the environment as much, we would be living in a better place.

[fossilgrom]

In the imprtal words of the ex gov of Alaska, Wally Hickle "you just can't let nature run wild"

[speelyei]

just another symptom of overpopulation of people.

[Wilbur Kookmeyer]

So does the likely collapse of the Oregon coastal fishery, both sport and commercial, influence you at all?

You coastal towns, as well as others, are going to feel exactly what money loss from the fishing industry actualy feels like....

[gills]

So does the likely collapse of the Oregon coastal fishery, both sport and commercial, influence you at all?

You coastal towns, as well as others, are going to feel exactly what money loss from the fishing industry actualy feels like....

Salmon runs are less than 1% of normal. Killing 71 sea lions, or more precisely, wasting time on the 'kill sea lions' debate instead of working on an actual solution, is what is making the salmon industry collapse. That, and you have a lot of people involved in the issue who have already given up hope and have turned their focus to aquaculture as a means of replacing traditional fishing.

If you're interested in hearing about what's actually happening from a really measured non-profit comprised half of conservationists and half sport fishers, check out the program that Wildsalmon.org is giving at the Lucky Lab on Hawthorne, Tuesday, April 15th at 7pm.

Beyond Salmon, the Rockfish population has been decimated by over fishing, and the problem with restoring Rockfish is that it's going to take many, many years of no to little fishing, coupled with marine protected areas, to regain stocks. Rockfish don't reach sexual maturity until age 12, but even then, the females of the species become much more prolific breeders the older they get. So, these females have to have some protected breeding ground to get to sexual maturity. To put this is a little bit of perspective, look at it this way---- Rockfish are one of the EASIEST fishes to keep around because they're such prolific breeders, yet we've overfished them to such a degree that they're almost gone. New technology, better fishing tackle, and more fisherman, higher valley and international demand, have destroyed this population in less than 2o years. They can come back, but its going to take a near moratorium for over a decade to make it so.

Listen up Oregonians, something is happening in our territorial seas right under the noses of most. In the next five years our state's waters are going to be entirely mapped for fishing, wave energy and marine protected areas. It's going to be interesting to see who's interests win.

[nm]

Federal court blocks killing sea lions, allows trapping

07:57 AM PDT on Thursday, April 24, 2008

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A federal appeals court gave the Humane Society of the United States a partial victory in the dispute over the fate of California sea lions in the Columbia River.

KGW report on sea lions

The court allowed some to be trapped but none to be killed this spring.

The Humane Society filed a request for an emergency injunction last week to contest federal authorization for Oregon and Washington to trap or kill sea lions because of the amount of salmon they eat at the base of Bonneville Dam.

Last week, the Humane Society lost a bid for a preliminary injunction.

Today, however, a three-judge federal appeals court panel in San Francisco granted an injunction for this spring's chinook run.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said trapping would begin Thursday, and officials hope to send those sea lions to zoos or marine parks.

[Wilbur Kookmeyer]

Oregon's senators asked the Bush Administration to declare a "fishery failure" for the West Coast salmon fishery, a move that would pave the way for Congress to assist communities hurt by the closure.

Commercial and sport fishermen are still reeling from the news that they will have a season without salmon. West Coast fisheries managers voted Thursday to cancel all commercial salmon fishing off the Oregon and California Coasts this year.

"I see no bright spot of the end of the tunnel at all," said commercial fisherman Jeff Reeves. "We're in a dire situation here."

Gov. Ted Kulongoski declared a state of emergency for affected areas and dedicated $500,000 to state agencies to help reduce the impact on fishing communities.

Republican Gordon Smith and Democrat Ron Wyden sent a letter to Department of Commerce Friday regarding the cancellation all commercial salmon fishing off of the West Coast this year. Oregon's senators call this year's salmon season "the most restrictive in West Coast history" and predict the loss of millions of dollars in revenue to coastal communities.

[Doc]

Since it's a learned behavior...and not all the SL's have learned it...it seems culling the few that hang out at dams might save a few salmon...I am for it as long as it isn't like you give a bunch of yahoos the ok to start blasting away at sea lions in every estuary in Oregon.

Doc

[Doc]

Another option would be to indroduce some freshwater sharks into the Columbia...or maybe alligators...or killer whales.

Doc