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Protected Species: Marine Mammals' Predation of Varieties of Fish

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Sept. 10, 1993
Report No. RCED-93-204
Subject
Summary:

According to government officials, the hunting of steelhead salmon by California sea lions at Ballard Locks in Seattle, Washington, is the only documented case in which predation by one species is threatening the existence of another, although federal officials suspect that the adverse predation of fish by protected seals may also be occurring at the Columbia River and in the state of Maine. Efforts to counteract the predation at Ballard Lock, including relocating the sea lions and driving them away from the locks, have been unsuccessful. Other possible options include capturing and holding the sea lions during the steelhead's migration and making structural changes to the locks and the accompanying spillway. The National Marine Fisheries Service has considered but rejected the possibility of controlling the sea lion population through lethal means.

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