I don't advocate shooting or harrassing sea lions, they're just something we have to live with. But the claim that losing sea lions actually decreases the number of fish in the sound because of some predator/prey relationship with orcas is just plain false. I wish people wouldn't say such things.

The number of orcas in Puget Sound has been steady for the past 2 or 3 decades, but the number of California sea lions has increased dramatically--by over an order of magnitude. The reason for this increase is due to the rather remarkable recovery and expansion of their range from population lows experienced in the 1950s and 60s. These lows were due to reproductive impacts caused by DDT and PCBs contamination, primarily in the southern California Bight region, where the species is indigenous. Bald eagles and brown pelicans, 2 other fishing eating top predators also suffered dramatically (eggshell thinning). The banning of both substances in the 1970s, coupled with strict pollution regulations, lead to dramatic population increases and expansion of their historical ranges. Large increases of sea lions have also been observed in the San Francisco Bay area, where historically, they only had moderate populations.

The expansion to Puget Sound at their present population has occurred only in the past couple of decades, so a significant predator/prey relationship between sea lions, orcas, and salmon affecting each others populations does not exist. A negative relationship between sea lions and salmon populations does exist during some years in some watersheds. The Cedar, Cowlitz, and Lewis Rivers to name a few.