Originally Posted By: JustBecause
Well Larry, there is another Fed law that protects these animals-MMPA, so I suppose that is the response for the Hershel debacle. Steelhead weren't ESA-listed until 2007.

As far as the de-listing of the Eastern DPS of Stellers, the DPSs were split out in 1997 and the Eastern DPS maintained its status as threatened until proposed for de-listing in 2012. That's....hold on...15 years, a long time if it was only that they were "mistakenly" grouped at the time of listing in 1990.

https://www.federalregister.gov/document...ment-of-steller

I'm certainly not a disagreeing that the significant increase in pinnipeds and their effect on salmon is not an issue. What I don't necessarily agree with is that, since we have identified the current "enemy" (which is conveniently not US), mostly and recently based on one research paper's modeling efforts, btw, we can immediately jump into action and start blasting holes in these guys like it's the 1930s-60s.


You clearly ignore that WA fishermen have experienced substantially reduced seasons and increased reliance upon hatchery produced fish for harvest. I belief those actions are in recognition of impacts of our fisheries; that is, that we are a part of the problem.

You have also failed to acknowledge the recently published scientific paper which has identified pinniped predation as taking 7 times the (adjusted to) adult salmon than all fishermen and twice what Orcas require.

Eastern DPS Stellars? Well, I can only respond that the bureaucracy takes its own time as we have been seeing. If you are going to offer excuses for NOAA's delays in achieving timely reviews and decisions you may be in the wrong forum.

As to the Puget Sound seal population the first document I found in my messy filing (somewhat a system) was an article summary from NOAA Alaska Fisheries Center. The article they summarized was "Trends and Status of Harbor Seals in Washington State: 1978-99" by Harriet Huber and Jeff Laake. That summary reads as follows:

"This report reviews data collected on the Washington State seal population between 1978 and 1999. At 1999, the seal population of inland waters was estimated at 9,000 (includes Straits, San Juans, Eastern Estuaries, Hood Canal, Puget Sound).

The NOAA report recommends Washington State could reduce and maintain the (inland waters) harbor seal population at 7,000.

The PSRCP plan estimates the present (inland waters) harbor seal population to be 14,000.

Harbor seal population at 7,000 would reduce present fish consumption by approximately 14,308,000 pounds per year. This will benefit endangered salmon, steelhead, and Orcas. (PSRCP identifies a single harbor seal consumes 5.6 pounds per day, on average)"

You can search for the original pub if you desire but it is apparent just by this summary that at the time of its publication the adverse impact of 14,000 harbor seals was huge and the seal population is now even higher; last I read it was around 16,000 and still heading up but at a decreasing rate. Pretty simple math to calculate the benefits to salmon by reducing the P.S. seal population by a minimum of 50%.





Edited by Larry B (04/04/18 05:45 PM)
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