Bipartisan House reps target sea lions threatening Washington salmon

An apex predator threatening a key sector in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is now the unlikely source of a bipartisan alliance in the House of Representatives.

Sea lions and their impact on salmon are a growing issue for Washington state, according to Reps. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

“There’s a wall that stops the two parties from meeting in the middle on a lot of issues,” Gluesenkamp Perez told Fox News Digital. “Most of the time, you have to go brick by brick to tear it down. Every now and then, you can chuck a 2,500-pound sea lion at it.”

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The California sea lion population has boomed, thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972. It’s now posing a threat to already endangered native fish species in Washington State.

Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has deemed sea lions a “serious threat” to Columbia River salmon and steelhead trout. 

Both types of fish are key to the state’s culture, economy and natural ecosystems.

“Salmon are a huge deal in Washington State. We have extensive salmon-bearing rivers that have historical cultural significance to our Native American tribes, a lot of interest and economic activity with sports fishermen, and our rivers are also the site of really important hydroelectric dams,” Baumgartner told Fox News Digital.

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“There are now huge numbers of sea lions in a far disproportionate amount to any sort of historical numbers that sit at the mouth of the Columbia River … and eat salmon all day. They have a huge impact on the number of salmon.”

Gluesenkamp Perez said action to reduce the invasive sea lion population is “exactly the type of real-world problem that Americans want Congress to be able to solve.”

“Many of my colleagues love to put their partisan blinders on, but it’s hard for even them to ignore their eyes when they see a sedan-sized pinniped snarfing up the salmon and steelhead that many of our communities depend on,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.

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Baumgartner called for “broader latitude” for “more aggressive sea lion management techniques.”

A subcommittee panel on the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing earlier this month on sea lion predation in the Pacific Northwest. Both Baumgartner and Gluesenkamp Perez participated.

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“Save more salmon, shoot more sea lions,” Baumgartner posted on X days after the hearing.

Gluesenkamp Perez compared the size of the Steller sea lion, another species threatening fish in the area, to a Toyota Corolla during the hearing.

“Southwest Washington has a serious predatory pinniped problem — tens of thousands of massive invasive sea lions are venturing further and further up the Columbia River and its tributaries to gorge on our local salmon. I’m pushing to explore more effective lethal removal options,” she posted on X.