Tribes could kill Seal lions in a newly sponsored bill in Oregon

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A new bill co-sponsored by Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader would address the growing number of sea lions congregating at Bonneville Dam by giving authorities more leeway to kill them.

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Fishery managers say the number of sea lions eating salmon at Bonneville Dam has increased since they first began showing up in 2002, forcing them to put more effort into relocating the animals. Last year, fish and wildlife officials in Washington and Oregon observed more than 600 sea lions in the lower Columbia River and killed dozens of them.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that last year, sea lions and seals consumed nearly 45 percent of the salmon returns in the Columbia River and its tributaries.

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