Pinniped Problem? Seals & Sea Lions Feasting on Salish Sea Salmon.

Seals and sea lions in the Salish Sea have been feasting on salmon, leading to a decline in salmon populations and reduced catches for commercial and recreational fishing. The seal population has increased since the 1970s, reaching 51,000, and their impact on salmon runs is particularly high during the migration of juvenile salmon smolts and the return of adult salmon to their home rivers. Some experts, including Dr. Carl Walters and Indigenous communities, believe that a controlled harvest of seals and sea lions is necessary to rebalance their populations and reduce their impact on salmon stocks. However, the exact proportion of salmon in the seal diet is difficult to determine, and more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between pinnipeds and salmon. Additionally, the warming climate and lack of summer rain, combined with pinniped predation, pose a further threat to adult salmon. Measures to mitigate these threats, including pinniped harvest options, may be necessary in the future. [Extracted from the article]