I stopped in Astoria to see the sea lions and it was indeed a hog fest. The noise was incedible form the males and there were probably 100 new ones than I had seen earlier in the year. They weren't hungry, there was fish on their snoozing docks and the sea gulls were eating them. I was in front of a couple and overheard their coversation. There were metal tanks-bars, and the fellow said they were sink tanks. They catch them and sink them. HMMM, I did see the tanks and the sea lions resting in them but there were also official (wildlife???) trucks there so I can only assume they were for marking the sea lions. There were many branded with numbers.
I listened to a young group of males tell a lady friend that "oh, you just walk by and they swim off" and then watched as they tiptoed up to them on the docks and jumped back . The boat owners looked with as much contempt for the sea lions as the looky loos. Talked to some fishermen and one just barked at them as he went by and the huge male barked at him and that was it. I asked him if they ever go after him, "oh sure' he said.

I do have some pics, but will save them in order not to enrage anyone. But, it was odd when I stopped in Warrenon (across from Astoria) there were no sea lions to be seen on the docks.

Ok, just one more blab on_- talked to a fellow at Warrenton marina that said chinook was closed at buoy 10 and proceeded to talk about all the drowndings out there to the point my sister was not about to let me take her kids out on a charter anywhere near there. So, i taught them to crab instead.