Speakers at a congressional hearing to consider the issue of predatory sea lions in the lower Columbia River weighed heavily towards recommending that more of the animals should be lethally removed from the river to protect salmon and steelhead.
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries hearing Dec. 3 heard testimony about the sea lions that are feasting on threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River.
“The Pacific Northwest invested decades of work and millions of dollars into resources to develop recovery strategies for anadromous species,” said Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo). “Dramatic increases in pinniped populations, which prey on salmon and steelhead, undermine recovery efforts and impact the entire region. This hearing allows us to examine what’s working, where existing authorities fall short, and what additional solutions we must consider to protect salmon, honor tribal treaty rights, and restore balance to the Columbia River Basin.”
However, that investment is costing some $38,000 per euthanized sea lion and $203 per salmon saved, according to Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA, 3rd District), who spoke to the Committee.
Aja DeCoteau, a citizen of the Yakama Nation and Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, set the stage telling the Committee about the rise in numbers of sea lions in the river that are endangering recovery of salmon and steelhead listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Increased presence of California sea lions, Steller sea lions and harbor seals within the Lower Columbia River are severely impacting our region’s salmon conservation efforts, she said.
“Historically, our elders remember the occasional sea lion reaching Celilo Falls, however, those occurrences were rare,” DeCoteau told the Committee. “Now, a combination of hydrosystem infrastructure, changing environmental conditions, and the success of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, has resulted in unprecedented numbers of sea lions in the Columbia River.
“Starting in the early 2000s, sea lion numbers began to climb as they learned to use river bottlenecks to consume returning salmon and steelhead, including 13 ESA-listed stocks,” she continued. “These sea lions have not only returned each year, but they are teaching their offspring and others this behavior.”
Data shows that sea lions can consume significant numbers of fish—up to 44 percent of the Columbia River spring chinook run and 25 percent of the Willamette winter steelhead run each year.
At the behest of Columbia River tribes and states, NOAA Fisheries began to permit the removal of sea lions, first at Bonneville Dam and later at Willamette Falls. At that time, harassment and removal were the preferred methods, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and CRITFC at times branding the animals and documenting predation. However, many of the branded and removed sea lions found their way back to the dam, and it was determined that harassment was ineffective.
In 2008, NOAA gave permission to lethally remove the sea lions, also with limitations: only California sea lions could be killed, but they first had to, in essence, be caught in the act of actually consuming the salmon.
“Initially, we worked within MMPA-allowed constraints, using non-lethal deterrents such as hazing, acoustic devices, trapping and relocating, and exclusion devices, with only mixed success, as resources only allowed six to eight hours a day to address a round-the-clock problem,” DeCoteau said in her remarks to the Committee. “Despite our efforts, predation rates more than doubled between 2006 and 2015. It was clear, a stronger solution was required.”
As a result of Congressional action in 2018, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) granted the states and four Columbia River treaty tribes on Aug. 19, 2020 co-manager status on a new and expanded authorization to lethally remove both California and Steller sea lions in the Columbia River, between river mile 112 (I-205 bridge) and river mile 292 (McNary Dam), or in any tributary to the Columbia River that includes spawning habitat of threatened or endangered salmon or steelhead. The permit also includes the Willamette River.
Known as the Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act, the legislation amended the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 2018. NMFS issued the first permit under the new law in June, 2020. As a result, states and tribes could lethally remove up to 540 California sea lions and 176 Steller sea lions over the five year period that ended in 2025. The Act created a management zone on the Columbia River and its tributaries where sea lions prey on at-risk salmon, steelhead, lamprey, sturgeon, and eulachon.
The Act was extended in September 2025 out to 2030, but the number of sea lions allowed for removal was linked to the number that already had been removed in the first five years. During that time, states and tribes lethally removed 116 California sea lions and 114 Steller sea lions, leaving a potential take over the next five year permit period of 424 California and 62 Steller sea lions.
ESA-listed species impacted by the sea lions are Lower Columbia River chinook salmon, Snake River fall chinook, Snake River spring/summer chinook, Upper Columbia River spring chinook, Upper Willamette River chinook salmon, Lower Columbia River steelhead, Middle Columbia River steelhead, Snake River Basin steelhead, Upper Columbia River steelhead, Upper Willamette River steelhead, Columbia River chum salmon, Lower Columbia River coho salmon, Snake River sockeye salmon and Southern Distinct Population Segment of eulachon (smelt).
NOAA and the applicants had said in 2020 that “sea lion predation is having a significant negative impact on the recovery on the above-mentioned fishery stocks.” Additionally, the original and subsequent applications state that removal of sea lions is also intended to protect species of lamprey or sturgeon that may not be listed as endangered or threatened but are listed as a species of concern.
Gluesenkamp Perez noted that Steller sea lions are “behemoths” at 12 feet long and as much as 2,500 pounds, comparing them to a Toyota Corolla at 15 feet and 3,000 pounds (she and her husband own a car repair business in Portland).
“And when Congress amended the Marine Mammal Protection Act to expand lethal removal authorities, it provided that eligible managers along the Columbia River could remove up to 450 California Sea Lions and 176 Steller Sea Lions during the five year life of the take permit,” she said of the 2025 permit extension. “We haven’t even seen them come close to reaching these levels. In 2024 only 27 California and 21 Steller Sea Lions were removed at Bonneville Dam. As of July this year, only 26 and 11 have been removed. Ask yourself why?”
She said it’s the arduous process of removal, “namely the cost and the onerous back and forth of trapping the creature, identifying its threat, shaking a can of pennies at it, retrapping and then finally darting, contribute heavily.” She added that her “back of the envelope math” found costs of $38,000 per animal removed or about $203 per salmon saved.
Still, DeCoteau said the Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act has been a success, although improvements are needed.
“After six years, I am pleased to report that the impact of this amendment has been dramatic,” she said. “After removing 30 sea lions at Willamette Falls, winter steelhead losses from pinniped predation went from 25% of the run to only 2%.
“At Bonneville Dam, despite challenges from its larger area and greater number of sea lions, targeted removals have led to a 91% decrease in sea lion days and significant reductions in predation.”
However, despite the work the states and tribes have done to reduce sea lion predation, the effort has had “no measurable impact on the overall population of sea lions,” she said.
“Thanks to the MMPA, California sea lions number approximately 275,000 and are at or near carrying capacity—well beyond the Optimal Sustainable Population level NOAA developed.”
She urged Congress to:
1. Sustain funding to maintain and expand removal programs at Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls
2. Amend the MMPA to extend area-based management authorities into the lower Columbia River
3. Request NOAA to assess current management options and provide a roadmap for more effective strategies
4. Support expanded monitoring as sea lion behavior changes
5. Invest in technology to prevent sea lions from moving upstream past the estuary, and lastly,
6. Support research and development of innovative non-lethal deterrents
“While sea lion predation on adult salmonids and smolts is significant, I must emphasize the need for a holistic approach to predation management overall, addressing avian, piscivorous, and marine mammal predation collectively,” she said in her conclusion. “Protecting salmonid populations is vital for the ecological health of our rivers and the cultural and economic well-being of our communities.”
For background, see:
— CBB, September 26, 2025, NOAA Fisheries Extends Sea Lion Lethal Removal Authorization To Reduce Predation On Columbia River Salmon, Steelhead, NOAA Fisheries Extends Sea Lion Lethal Removal Authorization To Reduce Predation On Columbia River Salmon, Steelhead – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, July 28, 2022, Efforts Under NOAA Permit To Remove, Euthanize Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia, Willamette Rivers Showing Promising Results, Efforts Under NOAA Permit To Remove, Euthanize Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia, Willamette Rivers Showing Promising Results – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, August 14, 2020, NOAA Fisheries Authorizes Expanded Lethal Removal Of Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia River From Portland To McNary Dam, Tributaries, NOAA Fisheries Authorizes Expanded Lethal Removal Of Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia River From Portland To McNary Dam, Tributaries – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, May 8, 2020, 2019 PINNIPED PREDATION REPORT: SEA LIONS TAKE 3.3 PERCENT OF SALMON/STEELHEAD RUN JANUARY THROUGH MAY, BIG HIT ON WINTER STEELHEAD https://www.www.www.columbiabasinbulletin.org/2019-pinniped-predation-report-sea-lions-take-3-3-percent-of-salmon-steelhead-run-january-through-may-big-hit-on-winter-steelhead/
— CBB, April 23, 2020, 23-MEMBER TASK FORCE SET TO MEET TO CONSIDER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXPANDING LETHAL REMOVAL OF SEA LIONS IN COLUMBIA RIVER, TRIBUTARIES 23-Member Task Force Set To Meet To Consider Recommendations For Expanding Lethal Removal Of Sea Lions In Columbia River, Tributaries – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, June 20, 2019, “States, Tribes Seek NOAA Permit To Expand Lethal Removal Of Sea Lions From Columbia River, Tributaries; Could Allow Euthanizing Up To 400 Animals Feeding On ESA Salmon, Sturgeon,” https://www.www.www.columbiabasinbulletin.org/states-tribes-seek-noaa-permit-to-expand-lethal-removal-of-sea-lions-from-columbia-river-tributaries-could-allow-euthanizing-up-to-400-animals-feeding-on-esa-salmon-sturgeon/
— CBB, May 23, 2019, “Oregon Removes, Euthanizes 33 California Sea Lions At Willamette Falls, Wild Winter Steelhead Run Up Considerably,” https://www.www.www.columbiabasinbulletin.org/oregon-removes-euthanizes-33-california-sea-lions-at-willamette-falls-wild-winter-steelhead-run-up-considerably/
— CBB, January 11, 2019, “With new permit, Oregon begins lethally removing sea lions at Willamette Falls to Protect Steelhead,” https://www.www.www.columbiabasinbulletin.org/with-new-permit-oregon-begins-lethally-removing-sea-lions-at-willamette-falls-to-protect-steelhead/
— CBB, December 14, 2018, “Legislation Awaiting President’s Signature Would Allow Significant Increase In Killing Of Salmon-Eating Sea Lions,” https://www.www.www.columbiabasinbulletin.org/441918.aspx
— CBB, November 20, 2018, “Oregon Plan To Euthanize Sea Lions At Willamette Falls Approved By NOAA Fisheries,” https://www.www.www.columbiabasinbulletin.org/441816.aspx
–CBB, August 17, 2018, “Willamette Falls Sea Lion Task Force Meets Three Days Next Week To Review Lethal Removal Request,” https://www.www.www.columbiabasinbulletin.org/441299.aspx