Sea Lions Devour Salmon: Congresswoman Calls for Lethal Action

A Washington state congresswoman has called for the lethal removal of sea lions from the Columbia River, citing their significant impact on threatened salmon populations. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez stated that sea lions consume four times more salmon than combined fishing and tribal efforts.

During the Spring 2025 season, nearly a quarter of the salmon counted at Bonneville Dam exhibited wounds from sea lion bites. Since the early 2000s, sea lions have consumed tens of thousands of salmon and steelhead trout in the river. California sea lion populations have surged to an estimated 257,000, with at least 4,000 now residing in the Columbia River system.

Perez criticized current sea lion removal protocols as "arduous" and "convoluted," bordering on "theater." The estimated cost for culling sea lions through the regulatory process is nearly $38,000 per animal, equating to $203 per recovered salmon. She believes direct lethal action is necessary to protect endangered fish.

California sea lions, first appearing in the Columbia River in the 1980s, have increasingly preyed on dwindling salmon and steelhead populations, many of which are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Perez's letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce emphasizes the failure of current methods to adequately control sea lion populations and safeguard native fish.