ODFW California Sea Lion Management


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FISH DIVISION
Regulating harvest, protection, and enhancement of fish populations

Columbia River
Willamette River

Columbia River

On March 15, 2012, NOAA Marine Fisheries issued a letter authorizing the states to remove specific California sea lions eating threatened salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River. The authorization becomes effective on March 20 and stays in effect until June 1, 2016. The authorization allows the states to remove up to 92 California sea lions a year; these animals must meet the following criteria:

Must be individually identifiable through natural or applied features (usually a brand)
Have been observed eating salmonids in the Bonneville Dam area between Jan. 1 and May 31 of any year
Have been observed on a total of any five days (consecutive days, days within a single season, or days over multiple years) between Jan. 1 and May 31
Have been subjected to but not responded to non-lethal hazing

On March 21, a federal district judge, denying a motion for temporary restraining order, limited the number of California sea lions that can be removed this year to 30.

Removing California sea lions on the lower Columbia River - KEY POINTS, April 2012

2012 Weekly Summary

Week of April 2, 2012 — Two California sea lions were trapped and euthanized this week.

Week of April 9, 2012 — Six California sea lions were trapped this week. Two were on the list for removal and were euthanized. Two were branded (one given a GPS tag) and released. The final two were already branded and they were fitted with GPS tags and released.

Week of April 16, 2012 — No California sea lions were branded or removed this week. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has filed all the paperwork necessary to accept one of the California sea lions on the removal list, providing it passes the health exam.

Week of April 23, 2012 – A total of eight California sea lions were trapped this week. Three were on the list for removal and were euthanized. One is being transferred to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Three were branded, fitted with GPS tags and released. One had been previously branded but was not on the list for removal – it was fitted with a GPS collar and released.

Week of April 30, 2012 – Two California sea lions were trapped this week. Both were on the list for removal and were euthanized.

Week of May 7, 2012 – No California sea lions were trapped this week.

Week of May 14, 2012 – Four California sea lions were trapped this week. One was branded and released. One was previously branded but not on the list for removal – it also was released. Two were on the list for removal and were euthanized.

California sea lion eating a salmon

Background

Since Spring 2008, wildlife managers for the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife have removed a total of 40 California sea lions from below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Ten were placed in zoos and aquaria across the country, 25 were euthanized and five died after they were captured. All of the animals placed in zoos and aquaria are reported to be in good health.

The California sea lions are being removed in an effort to protect threatened and endangered populations of salmon and steelhead. The sea lions travel 145 miles upriver from the Pacific Ocean to the Bonneville Dam in order to feed on chinook salmon and steelhead on their journey upriver to spawn.

The California sea lion is a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. However, the states of Oregon and Washington are removing the sea lions under authority granted by NOAA –Fisheries, the federal agency responsible for managing marine animals. The authority was granted under Section 120 of the act and allows the states to use lethal and non-lethal (hazing) means to remove individual California sea lions that have been documented eating salmon or steelhead in the Colmbia River below Bonneville Dam.

Additional information about sea lion trapping

Section 120 2012 Final Oregon Letter of Authorization (pdf)
Summary of 2010 California sea lion trapping operations at Bonneville Dam (pdf)
Summary to 2009 California sea lion trapping operations at Bonneville Dam (pdf)
Pictures of California sea lion trapping operations
Evaluation of Pinniped Predation on Adult Salmonids and Other Fish in the Bonneville Dam Tailrace, 2008-2010 (pdf)
see Appendix C on page 41 for a complete list of California sea lions trapped and actions taken
Final Report and Recommendations of the Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force:
Three Year Review and Evaluation (pdf)

For more information about this issue

ODFW biologists take to the water to try to move sea lions downriver from the fish ladders.

California sea lions have been feeding on chinook salmon in the waters below Willamette Falls.

Willamette River

The 2012 hazing program has been delayed due to budget constraints. Managers are considering whether to resume hazing in the next few weeks.

ODFW has been conducting a pilot program to see if hazing the sea lions can be effective in moving them away from the falls where salmon and steelhead congregate before entering the fish ladders. This pilot program does not include removing or trapping operations.

California sea lion predation has been identified as a concern in the Draft Upper Willamette River Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan, which describes the many factors having a negative impact on salmon and steelhead populations in the basin. ODFW is conducting the hazing program under the authority of and consistent with the policies set in the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Images of Willamette River hazing operations

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This page was last updated: 05/18/2012 10:20 AM