These Sea Lions serve no real purpose naturally speaking. They are alomost always rogue males, not part of a breeding pack, with the sole purpose of one thing only. Eating............

Reducing this population would actually benefit the the ecosystem.

The biggest hurdle is at the federal level.....

Angg,

I agree with AM that WDFW should cull them, not anyone with a beef (like me) against them. They at least should be "managed" like Hershall evntually was.

I guarantee if Sea Lions looked more like big nasty rats or sharks, instead of big dogs, everyone would be out for their heads.

I think you will find that in puget sound the population is no where near what it was 20 years ago. Back then drive through downtown Everett and you'd hear the non stop barking of hundreds of California sea lions. Not to side with or against anyone but it does seem strange, especially in a place with lot's of salmon like Alaska, that someone would use all that effort to kill a sea lion instead of just letting him have the fish and go catch another one. Or is the salmon population that dimished where you need to fight a sea lion to the death over a single fish?

I know what you are saying but I don't have a problem with the sea lions or seals and I am out there almost every day. Maybe they don't like how I look or smell? I remember when all this was argued before about Herschel decimating the runs in the locks when the tribes had nets strung both sides of the entrance. Seals and sea lions I doubt take .5 % of the runs. I am sure it's frustrating to lose a nice fish you worked so hard to hook but go out in the ocean and you can lose them to blue sharks and all sorts of nasty critters. It's part of fishing.

AT the risk of starting another cat debate from another poster, I have actually thought a lot about this. (By the way , if you think sea lions are cruel killers- check out the grizzleys)

I think on a fishing forum if you want a "so sorry', "that sucks", "sea lions should be shot" reply, you've already got it. But, to the general public, you just lost a fish. They don't care as their is another one down at Safeway. However, if the public safety is at risk, people will listen. I have no doubt that someone will be severely injured or killed by the rule of no taking the fish out of water to release. I have also thought of the lion grabbing the net and pulling me in. Now that is news! A nd that is the only thing that motivates the general public. If you only state personal issues , the public will not be concerned. When little Jenny gets bit, the audience will be open.

As far as hunting- killing sea lions, there are many other factors to consider other than the unfortunate actions of sea lions that have become aggressive and don't migrate. First off, did we play into this(humans normally do ) what is the percentage of fish taken ( <1%) always can be opposed)- is the hunt ,for the annoying ones or a free for all. just the rogue males? How many and how will this effect their reproduction. Will this effect the whales that prey on them and their reproduction?
I guess I think we have been a nation that has abused our resources for our convenience and we truly need to look at how we have contributed to this issue. Have the sea lions changed, or did we help it along. So many hatcheries and so many coveted "natives", I guess we know now that mother nature was right on!

So, don't think I want anyone hurt by an aggressive wild animal, I just think we need to look at long term effects rather than shoot outs resulting from anger.

I stopped in Astoria to see the sea lions and it was indeed a hog fest. The noise was incedible form the males and there were probably 100 new ones than I had seen earlier in the year. They weren't hungry, there was fish on their snoozing docks and the sea gulls were eating them. I was in front of a couple and overheard their coversation. There were metal tanks-bars, and the fellow said they were sink tanks. They catch them and sink them. HMMM, I did see the tanks and the sea lions resting in them but there were also official (wildlife???) trucks there so I can only assume they were for marking the sea lions. There were many branded with numbers.
I listened to a young group of males tell a lady friend that "oh, you just walk by and they swim off" and then watched as they tiptoed up to them on the docks and jumped back . The boat owners looked with as much contempt for the sea lions as the looky loos. Talked to some fishermen and one just barked at them as he went by and the huge male barked at him and that was it. I asked him if they ever go after him, "oh sure' he said.

I do have some pics, but will save them in order not to enrage anyone. But, it was odd when I stopped in Warrenon (across from Astoria) there were no sea lions to be seen on the docks.

Ok, just one more blab on_- talked to a fellow at Warrenton marina that said chinook was closed at buoy 10 and proceeded to talk about all the drowndings out there to the point my sister was not about to let me take her kids out on a charter anywhere near there. So, i taught them to crab instead.

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Regulations aside, if someone were to follow AngG's line of logic about the decency of 'mauling' sea lions--wouldn't it be just as indecent to 'maul' salmon and steelhead?

Wow, this is the last time I post and accidently hit the escape key, too tired to write everything again.
Anyhow,yes it is just as wrong to maul fish. If you think I am agreeing with you, then please read on. Is snagging a fish in the hind end mauling? Bonking it halfway only to decide you don't really want it mauling? Kicking it up on the bank because it's just ' a pink or a chum" mauling? The difference, is we have a choice. WE are not animals and I have never seen a 'kind" animal killing. There are many other animals that eat salmon and none of their methods are kind. I am not for diminishing our fish population due to some rogue males but I also don't think they are doing anything another animal wouldn't , including humans at times. If we can't even expect humans to regard the efforts of many to keep our fisheries alive, why blame an ignorant animal?
So, whatever, I get my opinion, you get yours. I'll go legally catch a fish (hopefully tomorrow) and still be able to at least look at your opinion as valid in your beliefs and try to understand others that have had different experiences than mine. There's really no fight, just the right to have our own opinions. I've never been one to join the bandwagon just because it's "populor", so I won't be backing down on illegal killing of any animal unless it's to protect ones life.

GOOD FISHING TO ALL!

I hooked a nice silver today and had a seal bobbing and weaving his way closer. I'm a bank fisherman for the time being, couple years from a good boat.
I left after awhile cause the seal was making me nervous, anyone know if seals will come into 3-4 ft of water and pull a salmon from a stringer?

SilverKing

I've seen a seal pretty far up in a river. Way past the tidewater. To get there it had to navigate water lower than 3-4 ft deep.

I wouldn't think your salmon were safe if the seal was hungry enough.

Well, then, you haven't fished Alaska, have you?

Seriously, I understand your point. I personally am in favor of some negative reinforcement to teach them to keep their difference. Let me just say, based on a story I heard from someone that I didn't know real well, who heard it in a parking lot when the people didn't think he was listening, that it one has some of the larger M-80 style firecrackers, with the waterrepellant fuse,and one coats the fuse hole where the fuse enters the barrell of the firecracker with silicone or some such, and then one wraps the fircracker with about 1 inch of pencil lead, and then one were to present the firecracker to the sealion in the water at a range of 15 to 20 feet (they said a wristrocket worked well), well, my friend who isn't heard the guy in the parking lot say that the sealions tend to depart the area quickly, unless they are in immediate hot pursuit of a fish. Then it takes two or three of them.

Or so I've heard. I have also heard that it['s hard as hell to light a firecracker while you're drifting out of the line, grabbing for the net, and trying to stash three rods while your friend is fighting a 20 lb'r with a sealion on it's butt. If you know what I mean.

I have a simple solution, let’s all pool our money and pay a bounty to the Indian Tribes for Sea Lion noses. Everyone knows that the Indian Tribes have ~ if they don’t already have the right to KILL Sea Lions it wouldn’t take long for them to get it if they need to , and for a bounty per nose I think we could get some takers to help thin out the Sea Lions and Seals. Just a thought for a big problem!

AuntyM, I think the Indian Tribes could very easily get the Feds to OK the kill to help protect the Indian's share of Salmon, heck they can kill Gray Whales with big ass guns and chase boats.

I agree with riverliver. think that would be a great idea, paying tribes for removed sealions. also, is there such a thing as good PR for tribes.

The Makahs have had the treaty right to kill seals and sea lions since 1855 and they do so on a regular basis today. Anyone who goes to Neah Bay year after year would be able to testify that the populations are seriously reduced compared to just a few years ago. Unfortunately they now kill sea otters too since they "discovered" sea urchin harvesting. The sea otter is the major natural predator of the sea urchin. The tribes , like others who fish for them. get $500 per # for the eggs....sushi delicacy in Japan and all.

No one notices the seal harvesting in Makah land because we only focus on the whaling.

WOW! As the author of this obviously hot, and somewhat passionate, topic I'll have to pour the coals to her a little bit more due to some of the responses that are pretty "pathetic", whatever.

My reasons for culling the resident Sea Lion herd are many. And yes, some are based on personal experience of having numerous fish, and gear, taken by them. This in itself is not sound reason to have a whack fest on these guy's. Yes, we've mismanaged a number of our resources, but we try to make it better. This is another area were I feel we need to step in and take charge due to the lack of natural selection taking over. It's absolutely ludicrous, in my humble opinion, to say this is not a problem. That the Arctic Terns are not a problem, hell, they're not even indigenous to this area. That the Merganser's aren't a problem. That the rafts of 150-250 Cormorants feeding voraciously on smolts isn't a problem. It is a problem. Name me the predator of the Tern, Merganser, Cormorant, and Sea Lion's that are resident to the Columbia river and it's tributaries? Can't! They ain't got one.

Granted, we do need to have this addressed legally and ethically. But in the meantime...... I'm not gonna shed a tear the next time I see a Seagull standing on a bloated Sea Lion carcass floating down the river, too funny.

Maybe less fishermen is the answer? Without fishermen sea lions aren't a problem either. Every time man f's with the food chain something get's out of whack. Then we try to fix what we broke and break it worse. Round and round it goes until there's nothing left to worry about....or fix.