Mayor Don Stevens of North Bonneville met with three sea lion defenders this week to discuss the issue of the hazing and killing of sea lions near his idyllic town on the Columbia. It was very refreshing to talk with someone who actually understands the ecosystem in which we all live well enough to know that killing sea lions is no way to save salmon.
North Bonneville is a town on the front lines. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery on the face of the earth, it sits perched among emerald, cloud-capped peaks, and spans the banks of the Columbia from just north of the Bonneville dam to the rich wetlands and verdant hills to the South of the dam. The streams surrounding North Bonneville teem with native salmon, and the town has prided itself on restoring habitat and improving stream beds to bring those salmon back. Clearly, these are people who care about salmon and about the Columbia river ecosystem. In spite of the misinformation being perpetuated by ODFW, claiming that we must choose between the salmon and the sea lions, the people of North Bonneville understand that both species belong on this river, both species co-evolved here, and the sea lions are not a problem to the survival of the salmon as a species.
Mayor Stevens told us that he has been getting many complaints from North Bonneville citizens about the hazing and the killing of the sea lions. He would like to see an end to the war against nature taking place in his back yard, as would many of the citizens in his community. He has contacted the departments of fish and wildlife in both Oregon and Washington, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and many others in an attempt to talk some sense into those conducting the lethal removal program. He’s proposed ending the killing, and has pointed out that the sea lions are native to this region and belong on this river. But the official response has been unhelpful.
“We’re in a war zone here,” Mayor Stevens said. He explained that explosions meant to terrorize both sea lions and birds away from the water are rocking the once quiet town from dawn til dusk. Townspeople who work nights can’t sleep during the day, dogs cower under furniture, nerves jangle, and wildlife has disappeared since the hazing started. And now, the native sea lions are being persecuted and killed for the sake of politics. Although he grew up fishing, and though many of his constituents in this riverine community are also fishermen, Mayor Stevens is quick to point out that over-fishing takes many times more fish than do sea lions. He also notes that habitat destruction has played a large part in the decline of salmon. “This isn’t going to bring back any fish,” he said. He went on to say that the people in his community want a real solution to the problem of the decline of the native salmon, and he agreed that resources could be much better spent than the tens of thousands of dollars per sea lion being spent right now to kill native wildlife.
Mayor Stevens said that he would like to see tourism encouraged around the sea lions of the Columbia. Indeed, people flock to places like the sea lion caves in Florence, and pier 39 in San Francisco where sea lions congregate. He would like to see that happen in North Bonneville, where people can appreciate the beautiful environment in which they live and the native wildlife that share the earth with them. This little town is a rare and beautiful gem surrounded by clear streams and ancient forests, and people here are very concerned about the ongoing war taking place outside their front doorstep that is putting their community in jeopardy. Mayor Stevens does not want his community to be tainted with the blood of innocent animals spilling into the river. Neither do we.
It isn’t only the mayor who wants an end to the killing here. People stop by the Sea Wolf every day to express outrage over the killing, as well as support and appreciation for the sea lion defense effort. After our meeting with Mayor Stevens, a man stopped us as we walked out of City Hall. “I was wondering who you were,” he said. “It’s really good to meet you.” He turned out to be the North Bonneville city planner and he talked to us for a long time about the folly of killing sea lions when they are not the cause of the salmon crisis. He told us about all the work that people in North Bonneville have done to help bring back the salmon, so obviously he understands that this is not a trade-off between salmon and sea lions, as has been portrayed so often in the media and by the ODFW. He told us that he lives along one of the crystal lakes nearby, and that he has seen more salmon returning this year than ever before since the townspeople engaged in habitat restoration efforts. “And that’s WITH the sea lions coming back,” he added.
The sea lions take a smaller percentage than fishermen but until you can limit commercial, tribal, and recreational overfishing, something has to be done. All these folks that complain about killing sea lions and still fish for endangered slamon are hyprocrites that either don’t understand the system or are too ignoarnt to get it.
Bad typist–”salmon” and “ignorant”.
NOAA SHAME ON YOU !!!!!! Mayor Stevens sounds like the only intelligent person here.. Hey you ignorant NOAA persons (if I even should dare refer to you as ACTUAL PEOPLE….) Do you NOAA men ever get hungry ??? -Maybe after UR long working (ha) days ?) Where do U go for ur food ? U think SAVING salmon means killing the poor inocent sea lions – gentle animals ….. To call U NOAA ignorant actually is an understatement…. ever think of over fishing ??? again where do you NOAA go for ur food.. HOW would you NOAA feel if someone attempted or actually did snuff U out (ur life )for being hungry and doing what comes naturally ??? GOD GIVEN NATURALLY !