More on Seals & Salmon

[IronNoggin]

With about 40,000 of the seals in the Straits of Georgia, the impact on juveniles is huge. Harbor seals consume about 2 kilograms of fish per day (4.4 pounds) and if those are all juvenile salmon, the total impact for coho salmon alone amounts to 5.7 million in one month (assumes the average hatchery coho smolt weighs 20 grams (0.044 pounds) and a seal diet is 4.8 percent coho smolts). This may be “driving regional survival patterns of Chinook and coho salmon,” the study concludes.

https://www.cbbulletin.com/439218.aspx

When Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, making it illegal to kill or harass marine mammals, the California sea lion population hovered around 10,000... Today they number an estimated 300,000, stretching from Mexico to Southeast Alaska.

If they are not removed, salmon won't recover. "This is not just a loss for my tribe," he said, "but everyone in the Northwest."

Oregon, Washington and tribes again take aim at sea lions in dispute over salmon:

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/07/oregon_washington_and_tribes_a.html

Cheers,
Nog

[chris]

And all this time I've been blaming sea lice from fish farms... Those are big numbers

[Buck]

Well we have a large cull then how do we restore a compromised environment.Pretty sure there were that many seals and many more fish before we degraded the environment to what it is today.Not sure that the public is going to support a culling so we can pick over what few fish are left.This requires a long term plan if your going to sell this to joe blow .

[Buckmeister]

Gee, I wonder how nature ever got along by itself before mankind jumped in and decided that they knew better on how to control everything???

[blaine]

With the increase of seals is there an increase of Orcas and Sharks as well ?

[Whonnock Boy]

Don't let them off the hook so fast. If they survive the seals, they must then survive the farms.


And all this time I've been blaming sea lice from fish farms... Those are big numbers

[walks with deer]

I would vote for a seal and merganser hunt combo

[IronNoggin]

Gee, I wonder how nature ever got along by itself before mankind jumped in and decided that they knew better on how to control everything???

That particular horse left the barn one hell of a long time ago!

As is the case for damn near everything these days, we meddled.
We created today's situation by placing a moratorium on all killings of seals & sea lions.
Not overly surprising that their populations exploded accordingly.
Nor overly surprising that those huge populations are now putting a very significant dent in salmon populations!

So at this point there are basically two options:
- Control their numbers, and get on it quickly
or
- allow things to run their course, sit idly by while the salmon get largely wiped out, then continue to do nothing while generations of seals and sea lions starve to death right in front of us.

Doesn't seem like rocket science to me...

Cheers,
Nog

[elknut]

I must say that when they hand out their Doctorates and PHD's to these educated types that they first must be given a common sense test...They recommend these moratoriums with saving a species without figuring out how it will affect everything else..If they won't recind this moratorium then maybe commercial fisherman ....sports fisherman ...and native fisherman should just start culling ourselves...Politicians have no common sense ..either does DFO...Maybe by killing the sea lions will save the Orcas ...They are an endangered species...A cull of 200,000 to 250,000 sea lions will bring back the Orca population ..Our society is in collapse with the stupid decisions made by stupid people in power ...Guess the Norwegians will win and it will be "Farmed Salmon"for everyone ....Enjoy !....Dennis

[Linksman313]

That particular horse left the barn one hell of a long time ago!

As is the case for damn near everything these days, we meddled.
We created today's situation by placing a moratorium on all killings of seals & sea lions.
Not overly surprising that their populations exploded accordingly.
Nor overly surprising that those huge populations are now putting a very significant dent in salmon populations!

Cheers,
Nog

Does this sound eerily similar to the Wolf/Grizzly explosion we are now left to deal with after decades of mismanagement and protection?

[Moose63]

Is seal meat any good?

[Angus]

Yes, is best served floating with a couple holes in the noggin.

[303savage]

Pretty sure there were that many seals There used to be a bounty on seals in the good old days.

[tigrr]

Depending where you hit them they don't float. Ask any gillnetter.

[hawk-i]

Yah gotta pluck the weeds if you want your garden to grow!

[Ozone]

Mine never floated.