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A major predator threatening a key area of the U.S. Pacific Northwest is now the unlikely source of a bipartisan alliance in the House of Representatives.
Sea lions and their impact on salmon are a growing problem for Washington Stateaccording to Reps. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.
“There is a wall that prevents the two sides from meeting each other halfway on many issues,” Gluesenkamp Perez told Fox News Digital. “Most of the time you have to demolish brick by brick. Every once in a while you might throw a 2,500-pound sea lion in there.”
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California sea lions, large predators, pose a problem for salmon and steelhead populations in the Pacific Northwest. (Janet Jensen/Tacoma News Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The California sea lion population exploded thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972. It now poses a threat to already endangered native fish species in Washington state.
The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife considers sea lions a “serious threat” to the Columbia River. salmon and rainbow trout trout.
Both types of fish are essential to the state’s culture, economy and natural ecosystems.
“Salmon is a huge business in Washington state. We have vast salmon rivers that have historic cultural significance to our Native American tribes, a lot of interest and economic activity with sport fishermen, and our rivers are also the site of very significant hydroelectric dams,” Baumgartner told Fox News Digital.
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Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., attends a hearing on Feb. 5, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“There are now huge numbers of sea lions, way out of proportion to historical numbers, that are at the mouth of the Columbia River…and eating salmon all day long. They are having a huge impact on salmon numbers.”
Gluesenkamp Perez said measures to reduce the invasive sea lion population are “exactly the type of real-world problem Americans want Congress to be able to solve.”
“Many of my colleagues love to put on their partisan blinders, but it’s hard for them, too, to ignore their eyes when they see a pinniped the size of a sedan taking away the salmon and steelhead that many of our communities depend on,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.
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Baumgartner called for “wider latitude” for “more aggressive sea lion management techniques.”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., walks up the House steps for final votes at the Capitol before Congress’ October recess, Sept. 25, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
A panel of the House Natural Resources Committee’s subcommittee held an audience earlier this month on sea lion predation in the Pacific Northwest. Baumgartner and Gluesenkamp Perez participated.
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“Save more salmon, shoot more sea lions,” Baumgartner said X days after the hearing.
Gluesenkamp Perez compared the size of the Steller sea lion, another species threatening area fish, to that of a Toyota Corolla during the hearing.
“Southwest Washington has a serious predatory pinniped problem: tens of thousands of massive, invasive sea lions are venturing farther and farther upstream on the Columbia River and its tributaries to gorge on our local salmon. I’m pushing to explore more effective lethal removal options,” she posted on X.
