Sea lions rebound, become viewed as wolves of the sea
MARINE WILDLIFE -- After nearly being hunted out of existence, California sea lions have boomed in population in the 40 years since the 1972 passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
According to several estimates, their number has grown from 5,000 around 1970 to about 300,000.
That growth, however, has coincided at least in part with the decline of a Northwest figure far more iconic and economically significant than sea lions: the salmon.
Check out this lengthy report on the issue by Bill Sheets of the Everett Herald.