August 18, 2020 — As expected, federal officials on Friday approved a program to kill up to 716 sea lions along a nearly 200-mile stretch of the Columbia River and its tributaries in an effort to protect salmon at risk of extinction.
The program is a significant step-up in existing efforts, and will be in place for five years.
Targeted are both Steller’s and California sea lions, which will be darted with lethal levels of tranquilizing drugs by authorized teams from states and tribes.