Just curious why there are current bounties on squawfish (a predator to salmonid smolt) and no active bounties on any other salmonid eating species??

Wouldn't it make sense that man has created a problem that "GOD" can't fix and perhaps man should fix his own problems. First we put dams in a river system that basically creates a river that runs warmer for Squawfish to reproduce, then we build sand islands that create the worlds largest Tern population in the estuary of our Columbia river... Terns are said to eat nearly 10% or more of the smolt population that are migrating for the ocean. Then of course the seals and sea lion populations are as high as they've ever been documented... So why not take action??

Or should man just sit back and watch the problems he's created and let it just get worse??
It's a fact that there is a unbalanced food chain that needs to be addressed. Or let the problem go and "GOD" will fix the problems with starvation as one species begins to diminish...
Keith

The "northern pike minnow" was a by product or mistake of a decision to build damns. But this example is no mistake.. A bunch of green tree hugging types decided we needed to "re-introduce" the grey wolf in Idaho. Millions of dollars were spent to import them. They repopulated like bunny rabbits and they are now finding that they are having to spend money to kill them again. They are finding out what our great, great grandpas knew all along... wolves suck.

An afternoon of tern blastin' does sound awful fun...

Better warm up the General Lee Luke!!

Didn't man dredge the sand bar they replaced in the first place?

Open season on predators of salmonids makes you a target too, or have you forgotten who the salmonids biggest threat truly is?

Man!!

I haven't read all of this yet, so haven't formed an opinion, but for what it's worth we might all find this interesting.

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/pubs/tm/tm28/tm28.htm#toc

Note that the study used a compilation of available data, and did not use newly collected data. The study also was from '97.

Probably the most elightening thing about this to me is that the problem animals appear to be the California sea lion rather than the Stellars. Cali. lions are not endangered, Stellars are.

I don't think blasting marine mammals for preying on our hatchery fish is the way to go, but if they're threatening native stocks, that's a WHOLE different story, especially if they're not threatened themselves.

I also don't think a bounty on sea lions is plausible, because of the "shoot first, identify species later" attitude that I think would be prevalent in the population that would be most likely to want to entertain the idea. It should be an agency function to thin (if it's determined that it's necessary) or at least require a licensing program to make sure those involved know what they're doing.

How much to kill a human?

Why do wolves suck? Because they make things difficult for man.

Why do terns suck? Because they take the salmon from man.

Why do sea lions and seals suck? Because man has destroyed so much of the salmon habitat, they are threatening the few native runs that are left.

Face it people, man is the problem. Unless we restore some habitat we are just delaying the inevitable, I don't care how many marine mammals you kill.

This is the same mentality that I have seen in the south: "I like to shoot those damn hawks, 'cause they are eating all of MY quail."

Why doesn't anyone ever complain about the loss of the June Hogs? Did sea lions suddenly overpopulate and form a line at the mouth of the Columbia that salmon couldn't pass?

If we really wanted to make a difference on the salmon runs we should've just ripped out those stupid dams. No? Idaho doesn't want to do that? Well then just sit back and be ready to pick over the scraps of the hatchery-augmented salmon runs that limp on up the river. I'm sure thet the respective F&W agencies will keep us in the fish by fighting this losing battle well into the next decade.

B-Run Steely wrote: "They are finding out what our great, great grandpas knew all along... wolves suck."

Actually, my great grandpa was fine with the wolves. But he did think the white folks over-running Idaho needed some controlling. Looks like he was right too.

**** you GARY K... STICK A LOBO UP YOUR ASS...

Sorry about that bounty hunter *****..the Dams are in your state dumb ass...

Everything was going so well...

Yeah, until....

"
**** you GARY K... STICK A LOBO UP YOUR ASS... "

Good one.

B-RUN, do you realize you probably just got this thread plonked, when we were actually trying to have an intelligent discussion on the topic.

"Sorry about that bounty hunter *****..the Dams are in your state dumb ass..."

Sorry about that, B-RUN....those dams are federally operated.

Is it possible that you might be capable of contributing to a philosophical discussion without calling someone a dumb@$$ because you disagree, so we can continue the discourse?

B-run
After all you have contributed to this site over the last couple of years I'm surprised to find out your a hillbilly redneck republican from Idaho. Cool out take a cold shower.
And to let you know on the wolf thing that not all ranchers are against the wolf. My good republican daughter and son in law just lost thier first calf to a wolf. They have reported it as they should and they also except the fact that this is going to hapen if we want a better place to live. They like many good and I said good ranchers are willing to give a little of the profits for a better place to live for all.
Peace
Land Tuna.

B-Run You must have the IQ of a wet rock.It is not the wolves.Terns or the seals. It is man we have upset the balance of nature by damning the rivers rapping the forest and killing off the large predators. Don't get me wrong I'm not a tree hugger or a fish hugger. I like eat what I catch and shoot.I have hunted and fished all of my life. If you really want the fish to come back in large numbers,we need to open damns,kill all hatchery fish and close all effected rivers for no less than five years. Stupidity should hurt.B-RUN are you sore???