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Stop Sea Lion Killing Plan

Target: National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources
Sponsored by: Care2

The National Marine Fisheries Service recently authorized the killing of up to 85 federally protected sea lions this year at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon.

Federal and state officials claim they have to kill sea lions to protect endangered salmon. But sea lions are not the main threat to endangered salmon on the Columbia river - dams, habitat loss and humans are.

Consider the facts:

Sea lions kill between 0.4% and 4.2% of salmon and steelhead returning to the Columbia River each year;
Federal dams on the Snake River kill over 15% of returning steelhead and salmon adults each year;
Oregon and Washington states, which requested permission to kill sea lions, proposed increasing fishing quotas from 9% to 12% of the 2008 salmon run.

A federal judge is set to rule on this plan on May 8th, and until then no sea lions may be killed. Yet six federally protected sea lions were just found shot to death on the Columbia River at Bonneville Dam. Make sure no more sea lions die - tell NMFS to abandon its plan to allow killing of sea lions on the Columbia River!

Learn more from the Humane Society of the United States, Wild Fish Conservancy and Save Our Wild Salmon.

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 10,000

3,684
signatures!

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To Ms. Donna Darm,
Assistant Regional Administrator,
Protected Resources Division, NMFS

I just learned that six federally protected sea lions were found killed on the Columbia River even though a federal judge issued a stay of execution for sea lions with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. I urge you to immediately repeal your agency's approval of a plan to kill up to 85 sea lions this year at Bonneville Dam.

Sea lions are not the primary cause of salmon decline in the Columbia River and Pacific Northwest. In fact, sea lions kill 4.2% or less of returning salmon and steelhead each year. Dams along the Columbia and Snake Rivers kill over 15% of returning adult salmon and steelhead, and the incidental take allowance is currently 9%.

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Sincerely,
[Your name here]

We took action on “Stop Sea Lion Killing Plan”!

# 300:

7:25 am PDT, May 5, Deborah Teng, New York

# 299:

7:24 am PDT, May 5, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
This is a wrong-minded action. Please don't add to our human history of destroying the environment and neglecting the needs of wildlife. Do not kill the sea lions. They do not kill the salmon in any appreciable quantities.

# 298:

7:24 am PDT, May 5, Name not displayed, Delaware

# 297:

7:24 am PDT, May 5, Geertruida Welgraven, Spain

# 296:

7:23 am PDT, May 5, Shannon Corrigan, New York
Humans are the problem here. They should be locked up for this.

# 295:

7:23 am PDT, May 5, Kirsikka Ahtiala, Finland

# 294:

7:23 am PDT, May 5, Lisa Mair, Massachusetts

# 293:

7:23 am PDT, May 5, Amy Madwed, Connecticut
SAVE Sea Lions!! Incarcerate humans who kill other species!!!

# 292:

7:23 am PDT, May 5, Jane Woltereck, Maryland

# 291:

7:23 am PDT, May 5, Susan Deichmiller, Oregon

# 290:

7:23 am PDT, May 5, Karen Chase, Nebraska
So many people have explained why this is wrong before me, and I agree with each one of them, plus I simply dont like killing animals.

# 289:

7:22 am PDT, May 5, Belkis Blanco, Florida

# 288:

7:22 am PDT, May 5, Dorothy Sherman, Maryland
Enough already, with killing things.

# 287:

7:21 am PDT, May 5, Amy Delaney, New York
SAVE Sea Lions!! Incarcerate humans who push other species to the brink of extinction or worse.

# 286:

7:21 am PDT, May 5, Max Yeary, North Carolina

# 285:

7:20 am PDT, May 5, Christa Dailey, Kentucky

# 284:

7:20 am PDT, May 5, Marsha Yeary, North Carolina

# 283:

7:20 am PDT, May 5, Leigh Foster, Michigan
This is a stupid plan! People kill more salmon than any other creature on this planet! Just check the supermarkets!!!! If you pass this law, then you need to include killing humans to help save the salmon....stupid statement? Well so is this proposal!

# 282:

7:20 am PDT, May 5, Thomas Gallo, New Jersey
I know that seeing all these signatures and comments may not at all matter to those in power once their minds are set. But I say, if you haven't already fully set your mind with a descision, go within yourself first. Go above your thoughts, to that real essence of yourself which knows - beyond thinking - and see if the descision makes sense there...

# 281:

7:20 am PDT, May 5, Mary Bingham, Wisconsin

# 280:

7:20 am PDT, May 5, Karl Yeary, North Carolina

# 279:

7:19 am PDT, May 5, Asia Yeary, North Carolina

# 278:

7:19 am PDT, May 5, Kate Wagner, California
This is a ridiculous situation. These sea lions must be preserved. If there are declining salmon number, correct the human impacts first, and leave the wild alone. Please.

# 277:

7:18 am PDT, May 5, Doosen Tachia, Texas

# 276:

7:18 am PDT, May 5, Jamie Hull, Texas

# 275:

7:17 am PDT, May 5, Carrie Hill, Utah

# 274:

7:17 am PDT, May 5, Tuesday Allred, Utah

# 273:

7:16 am PDT, May 5, Sherry Hugi, California

# 272:

7:16 am PDT, May 5, Katrina Sauve, Canada

# 271:

7:16 am PDT, May 5, Herb Joseph, California

# 270:

7:16 am PDT, May 5, Allison Kappadahl, North Carolina

# 269:

7:16 am PDT, May 5, Deborah Crooks, California

# 268:

7:14 am PDT, May 5, Melissa Patrick, Missouri
This is viscious and sensless murder. Please do not use Sealions as a scapegoat. Humans are to blame.

# 267:

7:14 am PDT, May 5, Sue Levin, Georgia

# 266:

7:13 am PDT, May 5, Hafsa Qaseem, Pakistan
There can be other ways to protect the Salmons. Cant kill one thing to save another. Should find some other way.

# 265:

7:13 am PDT, May 5, Sandra Spence, Illinois

# 264:

7:12 am PDT, May 5, Vince Lamann, Ohio
I have heard that the blubber from a seal mixed with some pork fat is a good mix to cook some fried rabbit. Hey if they are going to kill them any way why not take the meat to a homeless shelter and feed the hungry. This all sounds like a good idea and we will have more salmon to cook for dinner.

# 263:

7:11 am PDT, May 5, John Feissel, North Carolina

# 262:

7:11 am PDT, May 5, Name not displayed, California

# 261:

7:11 am PDT, May 5, Arlene McGowan, New York

# 260:

7:11 am PDT, May 5, Earl Thomas, Jr., Wisconsin

# 259:

7:09 am PDT, May 5, Kathy F. Gibbs, Nevada

# 258:

7:09 am PDT, May 5, Brenda Breytenbach, South Africa
Sea lions eat salmon but so do GREEDY humans, so where does that leave the poor sea lions? What about killing humans in the name of protecting nature?

# 257:

7:09 am PDT, May 5, Heather Aquino, Texas
An approval to kill sea lions is not only immoral and unwise, but it also fails to provide a longterm solution. We as humans need to take responsibility for the imbalances that we, ourselves, have created. Only then do we have a chance of restoring the natural balance crucial to our own survival. We have become an instant gratification, procrastination nation.

# 256:

7:09 am PDT, May 5, Mary Carpio, Colorado
patraft@yahoo.com, jcap7380231@yahoo.com, ycarpio@msn.com, shila_pet@yahoo.com

# 255:

7:09 am PDT, May 5, Barbara Tunick, New Jersey

# 254:

7:09 am PDT, May 5, Sophia Johnson, Oregon
Killing is not the anwser. these animals are part of the ECO system. killing them will just hurt us in the long run.

# 253:

7:08 am PDT, May 5, Name not displayed, Michigan

# 252:

7:08 am PDT, May 5, Jeanette Williams, South Dakota
If salmon need protecting, then stop salmon fishing. Don't kill sea lions. They are not the problem.

# 251:

7:08 am PDT, May 5, Ken Hartman, Texas
Killing sea lions to save salmon does not make logical or ethical sense. Sea lions aren't the big problem for salmon populations - humans are!

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