California sea lion relocated to save salmon and steelhead | Didn't work...

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WB Staff
Posts: 12504
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:56 am

California sea lion relocated to save salmon and steelhead | Didn't work...

Post by WB Staff »

A California sea lion that has frequented Willamette Falls on the Willamette River since 2009 to dine on salmon and steelhead was relocated Feb. 7 to a beach south of Newport, Ore. Three days later, he was back at Willamette Falls, hungry for more fish after a return journey involving a 200-mile swim. Another sea lion--relocated a day later--was back in six days.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says Willamette steelhead are on the verge of extinction, due to a growing number of sea lions that find their way to this easy fishing spot at the falls each year. A program to capture and relocate sea lions is the agency's latest effort to discourage these predators, now considered one of the greatest threats to the survival of wild Willamette steelhead, as well as Willamette Chinook, sturgeon and lamprey.

Last year, an all-time low of 512 steelhead crossed the falls after sea lions gobbled up about 25 percent of returning adults. This year, so far, 527 steelhead have made it over the falls in another year of predicted low returns. Steelhead will continue to migrate through May, but the run typically peaks in late February and March.

The agency, which has permission to euthanize California sea lions that prey on salmon at Bonneville Dam, applied in October 2017 for authorization to kill sea lions at Willamette Falls, and expects a decision sometime late this year.

Read the rest of the story in Northwest Fish Letter here: http://www.newsdata.com/fishletter/379/9story.html
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tinybass
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Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 6:28 pm

Re: California sea lion relocated to save salmon and steelhead | Didn't work...

Post by tinybass »

Isn't it amazing that our governor, water officials and most " experts " claim strippers are the the reason behind the declining #s of salmons in our rivers. In Oregon they are actually seeing it's our sea lions. Are people in Oregon that much smarter?
BigBassDaddy1190
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:41 am

Re: California sea lion relocated to save salmon and steelhead | Didn't work...

Post by BigBassDaddy1190 »

tinybass wrote:Isn't it amazing that our governor, water officials and most " experts " claim strippers are the the reason behind the declining #s of salmons in our rivers. In Oregon they are actually seeing it's our sea lions. Are people in Oregon that much smarter?
No I don’t think so. But I sure do love me some strippers.
Steiger117
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:15 pm

Re: California sea lion relocated to save salmon and steelhead | Didn't work...

Post by Steiger117 »

I don’t feel like strippers have ever been a problem in the ca delta. It’s a regular sausage fest out there. We could use more strippers if anything. But hopefully the strippers don’t get too good at catching salmon then we would be screwed.
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