[Liquiddeath]

Heard the sea lions at the wind yesterday but never saw them. Seem video of a guy fighting a sea lion at drano. They come up every year but never seen so many up here so consistently.

 

[Berdink]

"The new natural environment" above dams... UGH!!!!

Taking a ride up the Locks?

 

[ccw]

From a couple days ago at Kalama, stellar takes a sturgeon:




Stellar shards a sturgeon video

 

[Kirkll]

I always wondered why they play with their food like that. I’ve seen it a number of times in the Willamette. Once with a very large sturgeon.

 

[Liquiddeath]

I always wondered why they play with their food like that. I’ve seen it a number of times in the Willamette. Once with a very large sturgeon.

When we kill stuff we smile and hold it up and take pictures of us with it and show those pictures to our friends. Same thing.

 

[Berdink]

Cats do it with their catches. Poke a few holes in the mouse, let it try to get away, throw it in the air and swat it.
Eventually the prey stops moving. 😊

 

[CastleRocker]

Many on here remember when salmon fishing was great; the '70's, the '80's, and even into the mid '90's. Several things have changed that have drastically affected salmon stocks. Ignorant people love to blame dams on the Columbia. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any dams have been built since the '70's, no nope that's not it, so we can just move on from that argument.

ODFW, and WDFW estimate there are somewhere between 700-800 juvenile male California Sea Lions from the mouth of the Columbia upstream. Personally, I have no idea how accurate that count is, but I've seen the beach at the mouth of the Cowlitz, Kalama, and Lewis hold 50-75 per river when the smelt are in. Biologists say an adult California Sea Lion has to eat between 8 and 12 lbs. of food every day in order to survive. There are enough captive Sea Lions in zoo's, that probably proves that out to be true. So if the average need for food is 10lbs per day, multiplied by 700 animals...that's easy math, and an astounding number, and it's EVERY day! Add the estimated 15-20 thousand Cormorants that eat the smolt on the way out...I'm surprised there is a single fish make it back at all!

So what has changed? Oh there has been several factors as we all know, but I do know that there were NEVER this many salmon eaters in the Columbia since I've been around. We NEED to change something if we want any salmon to survive for our grandkids to enjoy.

 

[Liquiddeath]

Many on here remember when salmon fishing was great; the '70's, the '80's, and even into the mid '90's. Several things have changed that have drastically affected salmon stocks. Ignorant people love to blame dams on the Columbia. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any dams have been built since the '70's, no nope that's not it, so we can just move on from that argument.

ODFW, and WDFW estimate there are somewhere between 700-800 juvenile male California Sea Lions from the mouth of the Columbia upstream. Personally, I have no idea how accurate that count is, but I've seen the beach at the mouth of the Cowlitz, Kalama, and Lewis hold 50-75 per river when the smelt are in. Biologists say an adult California Sea Lion has to eat between 8 and 12 lbs. of food every day in order to survive. There are enough captive Sea Lions in zoo's, that probably proves that out to be true. So if the average need for food is 10lbs per day, multiplied by 700 animals...that's easy math, and an astounding number, and it's EVERY day! Add the estimated 15-20 thousand Cormorants that eat the smolt on the way out...I'm surprised there is a single fish make it back at all!

So what has changed? Oh there has been several factors as we all know, but I do know that there were NEVER this many salmon eaters in the Columbia since I've been around. We NEED to change something if we want any salmon to survive for our grandkids to enjoy.

I’m old enough remember when salmon fishing was really good, 2025, 24, 23, 22 so on. I have to go further back to when steelhead fishing was good. Not because we can’t catch them but because they won’t let us keep them. Numbers are still good enough for great double digit steelhead fishing. The runs just aren’t big enough to justify opening it I guess.

 

[Wisdom Spinner]

I’m old enough remember when salmon fishing was really good, 2025, 24, 23, 22 so on. I have to go further back to when steelhead fishing was good. Not because we can’t catch them but because they won’t let us keep them. Numbers are still good enough for great double digit steelhead fishing. The runs just aren’t big enough to justify opening it I guess.

I'm guessing you weren't around in the 50's 60's 70's 80's to know what really good fishing was.

 

[Liquiddeath]

I'm guessing you weren't around in the 50's 60's 70's 80's to know what really good fishing was.

Negative but I can see by dam counts this area had a lot less fish most of those years.

 

[fishin"G"man]

Back in the 50's, 60's, 70's common courtesy (and yes good fishing) were far more prevalent. I don't recall any pinipeds or cormorants destroying our ESA listed fish. Likewise, people were anxious to help others, shared information and even lended a helping hand.
Then came the Y2K era of hate, discontent and bitterness. What a different world we live in!!!
Why? What changed??? Has time and circumstances caused us that much grief?
(An analogy) When a door is knocked on and opened isn't it common to speak what's on your mind so that just standing there doesn't make you look dumb. Perhaps the saying; "A closed mouth enters no foot" reveals who we've become.

There's two ways to look at this anomaly ...
1. Whoever opened the door is waiting for a question from he who is standing at the door.
2. Someone is seeking information from the one who opened the door .
3.The questioner wasn't seeking criticism nor was he wanting a door slammed in his face.
The result of the inquiry is always two fold:
1. The answer was given.
2. Character and wisdom is revealed.
There's a lesson here...

 

[HoFisherman]

Have you seen them in California. They are like as big as a cow.

 

[RiverWanderer]

Thanks to everyone that stayed out of our way yesterday when we were fighting that harbor seal off of the Chinook entrance. I'm sure there were a lot of people that thought I had lost my mind by doing donuts. The seal bit the head on the fish and we got it back, hatchery and whole! The seal sat there and stared at us for a while, I'm pretty sure it gave us the middle flipper when it finally left.

I'd be interested to hear what other people's techniques are. Sinkers are a bit expensive to be throwing at them and the salt got to my air pistol. The method I learned a long time ago was to do donuts around them and force them to let go in order to come up for air but that requires cooperative boaters around you.

 

[Kirkll]

Back in the 50's, 60's, 70's common courtesy (and yes good fishing) were far more prevalent. I don't recall any pinipeds or cormorants destroying our ESA listed fish. Likewise, people were anxious to help others, shared information and even lended a helping hand.
Then came the Y2K era of hate, discontent and bitterness. What a different world we live in!!!
Why? What changed??? Has time and circumstances caused us that much grief?
(An analogy) When a door is knocked on and opened isn't it common to speak what's on your mind so that just standing there doesn't make you look dumb. Perhaps the saying; "A closed mouth enters no foot" reveals who we've become.

There's two ways to look at this anomaly ...
1. Whoever opened the door is waiting for a question from he who is standing at the door.
2. Someone is seeking information from the one who opened the door .
3.The questioner wasn't seeking criticism nor was he wanting a door slammed in his face.
The result of the inquiry is always two fold:
1. The answer was given.
2. Character and wisdom is revealed.
There's a lesson here...

The watchtower magazines make good fire starter…. Wisdom is lacking.

 

[Stick'em]

The federal permit that allows Northwest states and some Native nations to trap and kill salmon-eating sea lions in the Columbia River was reapproved late last week. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service renewed a 2020 permit that had allowed the removal of 540 California sea lions and 176 Steller sea lions from Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls. Of that approved number, only 116 Californias and 114 Stellers were taken. The new permit allows the remainder of the original permit to be removed — a total of 486 sea lions between now and Aug. 22, 2030.

 

[CastleRocker]

Well...let's get on it! I'm willing to help any way I can!

 

[fishin"G"man]

Lethal removal is great but start at Bonneville dam and Willamette falls? Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy if ANY were "removed" and I can't express how awesome it is that SOME action is taken, but is that really the best place to start? I suppose "the wall" is a barrier of sorts for all fish so I get why pinnipeds hang out there. Easy and safe place to kill them I suppose... but what about jetty's, piers, moorages etc in the lower estuary? Those sitting "ducks" might be easier still to kill and I'll guarantee if you shoot a few and LEAVE THEM THERE and the rest will go away.

 

[fisherjeff]

The federal permit that allows Northwest states and some Native nations to trap and kill salmon-eating sea lions in the Columbia River was reapproved late last week. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service renewed a 2020 permit that had allowed the removal of 540 California sea lions and 176 Steller sea lions from Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls. Of that approved number, only 116 Californias and 114 Stellers were taken. The new permit allows the remainder of the original permit to be removed — a total of 486 sea lions between now and Aug. 22, 2030.

2030??!! We em gone NOW!!

 

[fishin"G"man]

So what is the propagation of pinnipeds in 5 years vs the amount taken lethally??????

 

[RiverWanderer]

I have some good news for once...while the aggression on the north side of estuary in the Columbia has been getting super bad lately, we may have just gotten some relief. A pod of Biggs killer whales has moved in and started having a bit of fun with the local sea lion population. They seem to be like cats and when they're full, they still like to hunt. This big bull and probably a couple of the females that were with him found out the hard way today. I really wish we could get more of these guys, I'm sure they eat a few salmon, but getting the sea lions and seal populations under control wouldn't be a bad thing. The best of all, they don't require an act of congress to do it.