Stop the targeted killing of seals and sea lions
A new bill H.R. 9621 has been introduced in the House of Representatives to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. HR 9621 would allow the targeted killing of pinnipeds in Washington State and the Columbia River.
The aim of this bill?
Purportedly, to increase the numbers of endangered salmon. However, there is no evidence that the removal of seals and sea lions has any effect on salmon populations. By the 1960s a state-sponsored bounty hunting program had decimated the harbor seal population, yet the number of salmon continued to plummet.
Salmon have declined due to habitat loss, pollution, rising temperatures, water quality degradation, dams and fishing.
Seals and sea lions prey on a variety of 60 different species, with salmonids comprising only a percentage. Some of their prey such as hake are salmon predators themselves; without pinnipeds consuming hake, the hake may consume more salmon. Indiscriminate removal of seals and sea lions may have unintended negative consequences for the entire ecosystem; funding should go to research on this issue.
What can you do?
A subcommittee of Natural Resources has already held a hearing on this bill. Please contact your Congressional Representative and cosponsors Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-5) and Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA-61) to let them know you oppose the targeted killing of seals and sea lions.
