The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has authorized three northwestern states to continue killing sea lions that prey on endangered fish species as they try to climb the fish ladder at the Bonneville Dam, officials said Wednesday.California sea lions often congregate at the mouth of the the Columbia River and in the waters just below the dam, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement, and the hungry marine mammals have put a big dent in the numbers of salmon and steelhead looking to make their yearly migration upstream.
"Last year sea lions were estimated to have consumed nearly 10,000 adult spring Chinook salmon, amounting to more than 3 percent of returning adult fish," the administration said in a statement. "The impact on individual populations within the run may be much higher. An estimated 25 to 35 percent of the fish consumed are listed under the Endangered Species Act."
Sea lions may be killing more salmon than estimated, NOAA study says
Data show the 2014 average spring Chinook salmon survival at Bonneville Dam was just 55 percent, down from 69 percent in 2013 and 82 percent in 2012.
Read the rest of the story at The Oregonian/Oregonianlive.com here.
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