Sea Lion Death Sentence Extended

The National Marine Fisheries Service has extended Washington state’s authorization to kill sea lions that prey on steelhead passing through the Ballard Locks in Seattle.

The state requested the four-year extension so it can continue to manage the problem, an NMFS spokesman said Thursday.

California sea lions gather at the locks in the spring to prey on steelhead using the fish ladder to reach Lake Washington’s tributaries to spawn.

The state first got permission to kill sea lions at the locks in 1995. No sea lions have been killed, but three were captured last year.

In a letter sent this week to Bern Shanks, head of the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, the fisheries service said the state must try non-lethal deterrence methods first. These include such tactics as using firecrackers and underwater noise-making devices.

The steelhead population dwindled to as low as 70 fish in the early 1990s, but biologists say returns this season showed an estimated 610 spawning adults - the highest number since 1991.