Here is some interesting information I found on the interent. Seals are increasing in population. I think until the laws are changed the 3 s rule should be implemented (at your own risk of course)
This is from the
Noaa
Columbia River
Harbor seals are present year-round, with peak numbers exceeding 3,000 from mid-December through mid-March. California sea lions (300-500) are present in fall, winter, and spring. The large and increasing number of pinnipeds raises concern over impacts of pinnipeds on Snake River spring/summer chinook and fall chinook salmon, which are declining and listed as threatened under the ESA. Harbor seals regularly occur more than 50 miles upriver. California sea lions occur as far as the Bonneville Dam (about 145 miles upriver) and into the Willamette River up to Willamette Falls (128 miles from the Pacific Ocean). Pinniped scarring on numbers of ESA-listed spring chinook salmon at Lower Granite Dam raises a greater concern about the level of pinniped impact on ESA-listed species. The large numbers of both harbor seals and California sea lions in the mouth of the Columbia River from late fall to early spring raises concerns for impacts on adult winter steelhead and spring chinook migrating upriver, as well as on juvenile salmonids from all stocks migrating downstream from March to June. California sea lions have been observed consuming adult salmonids far upriver near the fish ladder system at Willamette Falls since 1990. Steelhead and spring chinook passing through the Willamette fishway are depressed stocks and especially vulnerable to predation at this site. Harbor seal numbers in the Lower Columbia River begin increasing during the fall chinook migration upstream, raising concerns for impacts of pinniped predation on these populations also.
Oregon
North Oregon Coast
Harbor seals are present year-round. California sea lions are present from fall through spring. All Oregon coastal coho salmon and steelhead have been proposed for listing under the ESA and are vulnerable to impact by pinniped predation at all sites where they co-occur with pinnipeds during migration. Pinniped scars have been documented on both coho and steelhead in most rivers. Groups of California sea lions have been regularly observed foraging for winter steelhead in the mouth of the Nehalem River estuary for the past 4-6 years. Between 1985 and 1992, the occurrence of pinniped scars on returning adult winter steelhead in the Nehalem River has averaged from 30% to 50%. Harbor seal abundance in the Siletz River has increased over the past 10 years, while counts of spawning adult coho salmon have declined. In the lower Alsea River, sea-run cutthroat are currently at very low numbers and no longer support a viable sport fishery. This raises concerns about the impacts of pinniped predation in the lower river because the Alsea Bay estuary has a large year-round population of harbor seals in Oregon (300-600 seals). Counts of spawning adult coho salmon have declined significantly in recent years even though high-quality spawning habitat is still available. Between 1982 and 1992, pinniped scarring rates on coho salmon in the Alsea River were reported at 11%, while 19-27% of returning winter steelhead had pinniped-caused scars.
Tillamook Bay
One of the largest aggregations of harbor seals in Oregon (500-800 seals) resides year-round in Tillamook Bay. These seals regularly interact with salmonid sport fisheries in this region. California sea lions are frequently observed foraging for salmonids in the mouth of the bay. Pinniped scars have been observed on 35% of the winter steelhead returning to the hatchery on the Trask River. Counts of spawning coho salmon have declined in recent years. Coho salmon and steelhead in this region have been proposed for listing under the ESA and are vulnerable to impacts by pinniped predation.
Umpqua River
Year-round abundance of harbor seals (600-1,000 seals) in the Umpqua estuary is second in Oregon only to the Columbia River. Umpqua River sea-run cutthroat trout are declining and have been listed as endangered under the ESA. Although information is lacking, there is great concern about this endangered population being impacted by pinniped predation, especially since pinniped scarring has been observed on Umpqua River cutthroat. Coho salmon and steelhead in the Umpqua River have been proposed for listing under the ESA and are vulnerable to impacts by pinniped predation during migration through the estuary and lower river areas.
Rogue River
The diversity and abundance of pinnipeds (harbor seals, California sea lions, and Steller sea lions) that forage in the mouth of the Rogue River may be greater than at any other coastal river. Coho salmon and steelhead in this region have been proposed for listing under the ESA and are likely vulnerable to being impacted by pinniped predation. Lower Rogue River and Illinois River fall chinook stocks are depressed and also may be vulnerable to being impacted by pinniped predation. Consumption of returning adult salmonids by pinnipeds at the mouth of the Rogue River has been reported at rates of several fish per hour during peak fish runs. Predation during fall months is of greatest concern because of the poor conditions of the salmonid runs at that time.
South Oregon Coast
Harbor seals are present year-round. California sea lions are present from fall through spring. This region has a number of small coastal rivers and streams that have low or precluded flow during some years when coho salmon and steelhead are attempting to migrate. All Oregon coastal coho salmon and steelhead have been proposed for listing under the ESA and can be impacted by pinniped predation.
Seals and the Noaa
"The California sea lion population has been increasing at an annual rate of about 5% per year since the mid-1970s. The number of California sea lions off Washington, Oregon, and California was estimated at more than 161,000 sea lions in 1994."
"Pacific harbor seals are present in Washington, Oregon, and California year-round; pupping occurs in all three states. Harbor seal populations in the three states have been increasing at a rate of about 5-7% annually since the mid-1970s."
"In the past decade, California sea lions have occurred seasonally with increasing frequency upriver in the lower Columbia River. Since 1990, California sea lions have been reported 128 miles from the river mouth near Willamette Falls on the Willamette River (a tributary of the Columbia). At least one to three sea lion males have been observed each spring near the fish ladders and smolt chute outfall in the area of Willamette Falls, consuming spring chinook salmon and winter and summer steelhead. In the spring of 1995, California sea lions were observed by ODFW and NMFS feeding on both adult salmonids and smolts. During limited observations (7 hours) over a 2-day period, one large California sea lion was observed to kill and consume an average of one salmonid per hour (ODFW unpubl. data). In 1996, at least five California sea lions were observed at Willamette Falls from April 2 through May 4. During limited observations in 1996 (155 hours), these sea lions were seen consuming 42 chinook salmon, 27 steelhead, and 20 unidentified salmonids (a total of 89 salmonids or about 0.6 salmonids/hour) (ODFW unpubl. data). ODFW and NMFS have implemented an observation/deterrence program at Willamette Falls to document the nature and extent of sea lion effects on salmonids at this site and to assess the effectiveness of various deterrence measures."
"One sea lion in 1986 was observed over the course of a 7-day period to kill at least 84 steelhead in 56 hours of observations, for a combined rate of 12 steelhead killed per 8 hours per day (Gearin et al. 1986). The highest predation rates observed were 4 steelhead kills in 23 minutes during 1 day for this animal. On the same day, this sea lion killed 12 steelhead in 4.75 hours. These observations indicate the potential predation levels of California sea lions when prey is abundant and where foraging ability is enhanced by narrow feeding channels. Individual sea lion behavior was also observed during the coho salmon runs through the Ballard Locks. In 1996, a single California sea lion was observed to kill 136 coho salmon in 62 hours (2.1 coho per hour) (NMFS 1996a). The highest predation rates observed for this animal were 18 coho salmon over 4.4 hours (4.1 fish per hour). The maximum number of coho observed killed by this sea lion during any one day was 19 coho salmon in 6.9 hours (2.7 fish per hour). Similarly, one sea lion was observed killing 5 spring chinook in 3 hours in the area of the Willamette Falls fishway (ODFW unpubl. data). Another observation at the Falls was one sea lion taking 7 spring chinook in 7 hours (1 per hour). Although these observations cannot be applied to other areas nor extrapolated over time, they clearly show the potential for individual California sea lions to consume large numbers of salmonids."
BPA Above quotes came from that source.
Also, the lowest figure for seal bites on returning hatchery fish was a 10% average with up to 50% being reported.
Sea Lions. I hope it's more visible than this.
Fshklr
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