I noticed in an earlier thread that someone posted the language from a treaty that stated that in fact the Native Americans have a right to harvest seals. If this is true and would be upheld, then what would you as a sportfisherman we willing to do/ trade/negotiate with the tribes for them setting up buyers and helping to "thin" the number of seals/ sea lions in our rivers. I have no doubt that the right person could set up a sales opportunity with some Asian markets to dispose of the catch so they would not be wasted. I personally would pay a surcharge of say $10. on my license for a year to pay to research and implement this program. Looks like a win/win situation for us ,the tribes, and the fish.Comments?

I dont think the tribes would want us involved as they probably have there own asian contacts via geoducks, razor clams sales etc. I guess it depends if there exists a true asian market for sea lions etc....dont know. What they need to determine is what a "proper" population of seals is which will not adversely affect salmon populations (I know.....zero...lol). Unfortunatly we live in a PETA world and cannot exterminate them. How many fish does 1 seal or sea lion eat per day? Are there studies on this? Would they be killing thousands of seals etc....enough to warrant selling them. How much $ per pound. I dont know...seems as if there was a market for them the tribes would already be doing it.

Not sure, but I think ESA and/or MMPA trumps all, including treaties/tribal rites.

They overcame the ban on taking whales when the population was enough to sustain them being removed from the listing. I just thought that any step in that direction was a good step. It's time for the Sea Lions to be removed from the ESA and any entity who could get this process started would have my vote. The tribes may think they would be opening a can of worms for further criticism by suggesting this.

the problem is not with the ESA, it's the marine mammal protection act, which is one of those asinine laws that bans the taking of marine mammals, period.

i think there's a seal season in canada, where they don't have that kind of baloney legislation.

If its a stellar sea lion, ESA is absolutely a "problem"
California sea lions and harbor seals are protected under the rules of the marine mammal protection act (MMPA) which not only prohibits the "taking" aka killing, hunting etc, but prohibits harmful acts against them.

NOAA has attempted to define which deterrents are acceptable when it comes to protecting fishing gear, persons or property. But its debatable what their jurisdiction really is and how it applies in the real world.

As far as I know, there are no treaties or tribal rites that slip under the wire with regard to the ESA and MMPA rules.

With that said, it seems a little irrelevant to debate and discuss a managed harvest, a retail market, or even a "use" for seal and sea lion carcasses to any degree at all. The first post in the thread is a question of "who" will do it, rather than the more difficult question of "how" to get it done with the ESA, MMPA, and animal rights groups holding them both up.
ESA is a huge hurdle, but even without it, the MMPA isnt going away. Animal rights/special interest groups would tie up any proposed changes in court for decades.

Tribal rites and/or treaties isnt a back-door by any means at all.

Of course it makes perfect sense to consider population management while keeping protective rules in place. But theres no motivation to implement management other than the hostile claim from fishermen that sea lions and seals are eating "our" salmon. No-one cares.

Seals/Sea lions have an impact on salmon, some of which are protected themselves- most of which are dwindling in numbers by historical comparison. But I cant say I completely disagree with the unpopular opinion that anglers/commercial fisheries/consumers need make the sacrifice to protect the populations of fish prior to the extermination of a predator that relies on them for food- because from a neutral standpoint, its hypocritical for anglers to site the cause for killing sea lions as "sea lions kill endangered/protected salmon"... when we are killing them too.

Im not riding a fence with carnivore instinct on one side, and a love of all things on the other. I love to fish I love to eat fish. But Ive accepted the fact that the resource is faced with huge challenges that are not the result of sea lions and seals eating.
So who can realistically look at either for a remedy? Especially when over-harvest combined with continued habitat destruction/loss keeps predation on the far back-burner... where it belongs IMO.

Im sure I am not the only idiot who accepts it as fact that by the time the lawyers, judges and politicians figure it all out, there wont be any salmon left to fight over. So I'll get mine while the getting is good and I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep when Mr sea lion gets his.

If Seals Sealions, & Orcas etc actually WERE responsible for the decline of salmon they would have driven Salmon to extinction millions of years ago, before humans ever got to North America, less than 60,000 years ago.

Unless I'm sorely mistaken, before the dams were built, the watersheds were clearcut, and commercial nets were put in place, the salmon were doing just fine. Even WITH Injuns spearing them in slat-traps, eagles & comorants picking them off and sea lions gobbling them up.