Buddy called me today about a hair-raising tale of one bold and brazen Steller sea lion that stole a 25# halibut right off of his cutting table while filleting the fish! And with half of the meat still unrecovered from the carcass! Steller came clean out of the water to snatch it... good thing someone's hands weren't in the wrong place!

FYI the number branded on the beast is #105. I suspect it was marked as part of the Columbia River sea lion project.

Another fur bag was on the scene as well... a Cali marked #1028. Probably another CR deliquent.

Fish checker had a story about one stolen right out the back of somebody's transom Igloo while he was busy maneuvering the boat. Apparently the big halibut's exposed tail was enough of a dinner bell to attract the thief.

It's only a matter of time before some one gets hurt in one of these incidents. These things have no fear of man, and have come to associate Homo sapiens with a free lunch!

Anyone else got a story to tell? Any numbers to help us track down the worst offenders?