The Bonneville Dam that spans the Columbia River Gorge between Washington and Oregon is about to become the place of extreme controversy.
Oregon and Washington wildlife officials are going to move ahead with plans to remove sea lions from the area.
The reason is simple. The dam causes the spawning salmon to "school-up" at the base of it. Which means they basically become a sitting buffet.
It's not the sea lions fault, they just want an easy meal. Being a guy still in the college mindset I can relate. I don't think about dinner until I'm hungry. Then, since I'm hungry I want the easiest meal possible. Which usually involves a microwave or a pot of water.
Unfortunately for these animals state officials and local tribe representatives don't see it that way. All they see is that the sea lions eat a lot of the fish that are stuck there.
Animal rights groups don't buy that excuse. They say that the state officials are just using the sea lions as scapegoats for the decline in the salmon population. When other things, such as clear cutting along river banks, polluting rivers and dams themselves cause more problems for the fish than the sea lions do.
For now the sea lions will be caught and given to zoos and aquariums. But the states are allowed to kill 85 of them each year.
I find that sad. Kill the lazy ones dinning on the buffet of fresh fish. I agree that salmon are important, but I do not think that the sea lions are the sole cause of the decline of the species. There are a lot of "human made" actions that are affecting them more.
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