Man pleads guilty to shooting sea lion

PORTLAND – A Rainier man pleaded guilty Tuesday to trying to kill a sea lion in the Willamette River, a violation of the 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act, federal prosecutors said.

A plea agreement requires James Housley, 62, to forfeit his fishing license for one year, forfeit the gun he used and pay a fine.

The government has agreed to seek a year’s probation and a $5,000 fine but Housley could receive up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine under the misdemeanor charge. Sentencing is set for Oct. 31.

Housley shot the animal April 18 as it swam in the Multnomah Channel of the Willamette River off Sauvie Island.

Prosecutors say Housley was fishing and became frustrated that a sea lion had taken a salmon off a companion’s line and shot the animal twice in the head.

It’s not known whether it survived the shooting.