US sanctions sea lion killings

The US government has approved a sanction that authorizes the limited killing of sea lions in the Northwestern states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.  According to experts in the area, these sea lions are devouring an overwhelming proportion of the salmon population, leaving little to be captured and sold.

Every year the sea lions swim upstream through the Columbia River to the bottom of the Bonneville Dam, which stands as the border between Washington and Oregon.  Here, the sea lions are able to feast on the wild salmon and steelhead trout that are headed down the river to lay their eggs.

The percentage of salmon on the Columbia river overall eaten by sea lions is about 1 to 4 percent.  It is this small portion of the salmon population that is used by the "expert fishermen" as justification of these sanctioned killings.

It is expected that to maintain a consistent level of salmon, up to 92 sea lions a year can be killed, while even more will be killed by other interactions with humans such as ship strikes or net entanglements.

There are a number of organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States that are trying to fight the legislation with little or no progress.

Although it seems as though there is justification for these killings, I find it hard to support.  These sea lions are eating an minuscule portion of the total salmon population and their punishment does not fit the crime.

These sanctions are effective until May 2016.  Over the span of the next 4 years something must be done to reverse this legislation as it is fueled by greed and selfishness rather than common good of all. 

Teresa, Carson. "U.S. government sanctions limited sea lion killings." Yahoo News. 16 March 2002: n. page. Print. <http://news.yahoo.com/u-government-sanctions-limited-sea-lion-killings-140702089.html>.

Sea Lion Evolution

California Sea Lion Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Pinnipedia

Family: Otariidae

Genus: Zalophus

Species: Californianus 

Evolution

Within the scientific community, there are several theories behind where the sea lion originated from, and until this day its origin is somewhat of a mystery. Scientific evidence suggests that pinnipeds evolved from a bear-like creature millions of years ago. Pinnipeds are spilt into three different families; eared seals, true seals, and walruses. Pinnipeds have bodies that are well adapted to their aquatic habitats and are known for their wide wing-like flippers.Their sleek bodies are perfect for diving and swimming and often stay submerged under water for up to a half hour. The California Sea lion belongs to the Otariidae family and is thought to have shown up about 10-12 million years ago in the North Pacific. The sea lions family name Otariidae comes from the Greek word Otarion which means "little ear". The sea lions external ear flaps and its distinguished dog-like head shape are the only things that make it distinguishable from the true seals. The earliest sea lions were believed to be much smaller, about the size of a modern day otter, and spent the majority of their time on land. "Eared seals" such as the sea lion are better adapted to terrestrial habitats and have an easier time moving around on all fours. The sea lions large layer of blubber is what regulates its body temperature in the cold ocean water. 

Sources

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eared_seal

http://sealion-world.com/sea-lion-evolution.html

Fish: It's What's for Dinner

Sea lions are predators of oppotunity, and their diets consist of an array of fish and cephalopods.  Northern anchovy, Pacific sardine, Pacific whiting, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel, shortbelly rockfish, and market squid are the main prey of California sea lions residing in the Pacific of Southern California. They also consume many other species but in smaller amounts. Predatory habits are affected by a variety of factors that influence the prevelance of certain fish species. Seasonal changes contribute to what California sea lions eat, as market squid for example are more heavely consumed in the fall and winter months for they are more prevalent at these times. California sea lions have also be found to hunt steelhead salmon during the salmon rush. They wait by the mouth of Lake Washington (and various other locations along the Pacific Coast) and consume large amounts of these salmon. This has become a debated issue as salmon populations lose more and more numbers.

A California sea lion has a nice salmon meal off the coast of the Pacific Northwest near the Columbia River. Recently there has been much debate among environmentalists about the toll sea lions are taking on endangered salmon populations, and in an attempt to protect the salmon 37 sea lions have even been euthanized in the last four years.   Read more here.

While sea lions are a prominant predator, there is still a "bigger fish in the sea," as well as "a bigger mammal in the sea." And while the most threatening predator to sea lions is far and away humans, sea lions must still watch their backs for great white sharks and killer whales. Their best defense against such predators is to swim quickly towards the shore and get onto land where they cannot be reached (though killer whales have been known to make their way onto sandbars and beaches to capture sea lions). Over the course of history humans have hunted sea lions for many purposes such as food, oil from the blubber, and bones to make tools and weapons. It is only recently, as sea lions numbers have been greatly reduced, that they are beginning to be protected, and in many nations killing sea lions is illegal.

An orca whale comes to the shore to prey on a sea lion.

The tables are turned as a sea lion attacks a shark in the Galapagos.

Sea lions are industrious, and opportunistic predators and will eat almost any kind of fish (as seen above). They eat when food is available, and travel to areas where food is more prevalent at certain times of the year. They are also quite adept at escaping their few predators. The predatory patterns of these animals are vast and somewhat unpredictable, and thus there is much potential for future research.

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/killer-whale/diet.htm
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/water-cooler/101072-sea-lions-killed-eating-too-many-salmon.html
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/california-sea-lion/diet.htm
http://swfsc.noaa.gov/textblock.aspx?Division=PRD&ParentMenuId=148&id=1252