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have expanded beyond their historic range into previously unoccupied habitat. Harbor seals are 

 packing bays and estuaries of Washington and Oregon while continuing to increase at 6-10 

 percent per year. The common dolphin is so common that its population off California now 

 exceeds 270,000 animals. 



These populations are robust in spite of the presence of tens of thousands of commercial 

 fisherman and millions of marine recreational fishermen. Fishing on the West Coast is NOT 

 preventing the growth of marine mammal populations. 



Symptoms 



The symptoms of this increasing abundance of mammals are reflected by the following: 



► Sport charter boats have been forced to abandon traditional fishing grounds because 

 California sea lions take more fish from the lines than clients can reel in. 



► Docks are overrun by lounging animals, even to the point of damaging facilities 

 such as the new floating pier at Charleston, Oregon. 



► Recreational fishermen in bays of southwest Washington lose up to 60 percent of 

 troll-hooked fish to harbor seals, yet they are prohibited by law from using non- 

 lethal deterrents. 



►■ In Bellingham Bay drift gillnet and set net fishermen are losing 30 to 50 percent of 

 their fall chinook salmon catch to harbor seals. 



►• Sea lions feed on precious wild stocks of steelhead and chum salmon 40 miles up 

 the Nisqually River. 



► Scientists on the Recovery Team for the threatened and endangered Columbia River 

 salmon now ask if the hoards of harbor seals at the mouth of the Columbia are 

 impacting these critical runs. (Note: Anthropologist Franz Boas, who did ground 

 breaking fieldwork among Native Americans of the Northwest Coast in the late 

 19th century witnessed "drives to capture and harpoon sea lions down to the sea". 

 The purpose of such seal drives was to prevent these aquatic carnivores from 

 interfering with Indian fishing efforts during the annual salmon runs, which were 

 their primary source of food.) 



► Beginning in 1991 urban sport fishermen began to interact with California sea lions 

 26 miles up the Willamette River, a tributary of the Columbia River and about 125 

 miles upstream from the ocean. 



► In 1990, NMFS scientists documented that an estimated 40 to 50 percent of the 

 observed adult spring chinook salmon ascending the fish ladder at Lower Granite 

 Dam (Columbia River) had teeth marks and scars caused by either harbor seals or 

 California sea lions. The number of fish that did not escape their predators is not 

 known. 



