Sea lions vs. fishermen

Sea lions: Smart and playful mammals that are a spectacle to see. Entertaining crowds nationwide in marine shows seen in parks such as Sea World, these beloved animals have taken a special spot in the hearts of many.

Locally in Oregon, these marine mammals can be seen up and down the coast in either captive aquariums or in their natural environment such as the caves near Florence or lounging among the docks of Newport. But in recent years, Portland locals as well as those living in the surrounding areas don’t have to travel further than the Oregon Zoo or the Willamette and Columbia rivers to catch a glimpse of a sea lion.

With the migration of sea lions from California to the Oregon Coast, many sea lions have found, and traveled to, Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls in search of an easy meal of our treasured salmon. Therefore, they are becoming somewhat of an annoyance to fishermen as well as fisheries that protect our wild salmon. Not only do the sea lions eat salmon that we so desperately try to preserve and limit ourselves to catch, but they have been also been known to steal a catch right from a fisherman’s line.

“Everywhere you go you see them. Fishermen are losing fish and sea lions are quite good at catching them on their own, too,” local fishing guide, John Krauthoefer, told NewsChannel 8.

Sea lions have become such a problem that hazing along both rivers and the lethal injection program conducted at Bonneville Dam aren’t solving the issue anymore. The sea lions merely hang out on nearby docks to wait the hazing out. So what else can the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife do without committing a sea lion massacre?

Well, they could follow the example instituted along another Oregon waterway, the Rogue River. With sea lions threatening to decline the sport of fishing along the Rogue River estuary, the community came up with a plan which included seven-day-a-week hazing, barricades on docks so that the sea lions are prevented from lounging and waiting out and the ceasing of feeding the mammals at fish cleaning stations. The best part is, the plan has worked. There have been less sea lions during peak salmon runs and the Rogue community did not have to kill one sea lion.

NewsChannel 8 also recently featured fish biologist Todd Alsbury, who said that the plans implemented by the Rogue River community could work in Oregon City and that plans to install barricades on popular sea lion dock sites have been made.

“We can quickly move them out so that they’ll [sea lions] understand this isn’t an easy place to feed—hopefully, we move them further downstream where they won’t take so many of the wild fish we’re trying to protect,” Alsbury said.

Killing never is the answer. We cause the problem of extinction by killing. There is always another option. Hopefully by following in the footsteps of the Rogue River community, we satisfy the fisheries, the fishermen and the entire community.