SEATTLE (AP) — NOAA’s Fisheries Service is reviewing how to deal with California sea lions that feast on imperiled salmon at Bonneville Dam east of Portland, Ore.
The agency said Thursday it is reconvening a group to evaluate how effective actions have been so far to remove or kill certain California sea lions from below the dam on the Columbia River. The group first met in 2007 and recommended actions, including capturing and killing specific animals.
The sea lions are federally protected, but NOAA gave Oregon, Washington and Idaho permission in 2008 to kill up to 85 a year under certain conditions. Last year, 11 sea lions were euthanized and four were transferred to zoos or aquariums.
Critics say hydroelectric dams on the Columbia pose a far greater threat to salmon.
