FOLLOWUP: 3 more sea lions killed; at least 8 confirmed shot

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

(November 14th WSB photo by Tracy Record)

11:17 AM: Three more sea lions have been found dead of “acute trauma,” including one necropsied on Vashon Island Monday, according to Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network. That brings the recent total to 16. If you have a tip for investigators, NOAA’s hotline is 800-853-1964. If you see a dead marine mammal offshore, or one that’s alive or dead on the shore, report it to SS, 206-905-SEAL.

6:22 PM: We’ve received an update from NOAA, via spokesperson Michael Milstein:

(W)e now believe that eight sea lions were shot. The total number of dead sea lions is still 16, but the one from Vashon Island over the weekend was confirmed shot through x-rays today. Also the one found in West Seattle on Thanksgiving Day was decomposed but further examination has shown that it was shot, although we cannot be sure that was the cause of death given the decomposition.

I am attaching an x-ray of the sea lion found in West Seattle on Nov. 15 in which you can see different-sized shotgun pellets.

Our NOAA Office of Law Enforcement continues to investigate and we continue to urge people to advise us of any information related to this case.

Also, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has increased the reward it’s offering:

Recently Sea Shepherd offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of Sea Lions in Puget Sound.

Sea Shepherd is now increasing that reward to $10,000. Sea Shepherd is also offering an additional $2,000 for video evidence of the shooting of any Sea Lions in Puget Sound if the video shows the faces of the killers or images including the name of a vessel. This $2,000 will be payable upon receipt and not contingent on arrest and conviction. If the film leads to the arrest and conviction of the Sea Lion killers, the balance of $10,000 will be paid.

just wondering November 27, 2018 (12:40 pm)

Maybe I’ve watched too many crime shows but if some of the sea lions were shot are there any bullets recovered? And if so do the bullets match?

Jethro Marx November 27, 2018 (1:37 pm)

Yes, you’ve watched too many crime shows. It is perhaps important to note that these are animals, not people, and not ones we’re running low on. Would we demand justice if someone was shooting squirrels? Rats? I know marine mammals are protected and all, but it’s a fairly arbitrary and anthropomorphic distinction, since these particular pinnipeds are, after all, something of a nuisance.
- Yma November 27, 2018 (2:34 pm)
  
  Huh- and still, it is a crime to shoot these mammals.if we need to cull – ok, great, let’s decide on that & how. Vigilante ‘justice’ is not the way to go.
- User November 27, 2018 (2:41 pm)
  
  Shooting a living creature is not arbitary. Just because they’re not important to you does not mean they don’t have importance. Try learning about ecosystems or maybe, I don’t know compassion.
  - Jethro Marx November 27, 2018 (3:06 pm)
    
    You misread; what’s arbitrary is offering a reward for sea lion killers but paying rat killers. Sea lions are cute; rats creep us out. They both eat our food and impinge on native species though.
    - mok4315 November 27, 2018 (5:30 pm)
      
      That’s a valid point, Jethro. I’ve never understood why people assign a value to the lives of one species, but not another.
    - User November 27, 2018 (9:58 pm)
      
      Apologies then. I agree. As much of a nuisance rodents pose, I don’t kill them so I’d be as upset if someone killed them.
    - Mike November 28, 2018 (12:38 am)
      
      Sea Lions vs. Rats… really? Rats have fleas and carry diseases that can actually kill you, they live in and around your house, that’s why they’re called pests. Last I checked, there’s never been a major breakout Sea Lion Black Death.
    - Dawn Younce November 28, 2018 (7:50 am)
      
      “Eat our food and impinge on native species?” Lol. You cannot blame them for depleted salmon. The blame lies with trawlers and the failure to breach the lower Snake River Dams.
    - Anneke Rotmeyer November 28, 2018 (10:57 pm)
      
      I think it’s important to make the distinction here… They don’t eat our food. We are eating theirs and by we I mean you. I am an ethically plant- based consumer.The only nuisance here is the uninformed and uneducated public. The real tragedy is that once again greedy humankind takes for himself what belongs to others without a thought of sharing the “resources.” Humankind slaughters the competition and calls it conservation. They got the CON part right. #TheirLivesNotYours
- flimflam November 27, 2018 (4:40 pm)
  
  wow, aren’t you a joy…
- Dave port November 28, 2018 (7:05 am)
  
  Not ones we’re running low on?? Really? The same was saud for every species that us currently endangered or has already gone extinct. Who are you to make these sea lions a insignificant nuisance. They are protected for a reason and i hope their killers are brought to justice.
- Caroline AUCLAIR November 28, 2018 (8:41 am)
  
  Nuisance? Says who? WHO can decide this animal is a nuisance and this one is not? I think millions of years of evolution is a better proof of balance in the food chain/the world than some dude with an (hidden) agenda.
- Anthony November 28, 2018 (11:34 am)
  
  That is a completely backwards way of thinking and looking at this. They are animals and not people?! The second we shift and start treating animals with the exact same respect we do people….well at least most considering most don’t see to respect anyone or anything anymore…this will be a better world. Humans are the BIGGEST nuisance don’t f’n kid yourselves! Comments like this are so damn scary….so much we still have to progress and evolve it’s not even funny.
- Rudy November 30, 2018 (4:41 pm)
  
  It is perhaps important to note that people are animals too, and there is no shortage of them, but we frown on murdering them.
- Michelle December 1, 2018 (6:49 am)
  
  We’re not running low on humans either
Jason McCaulley November 28, 2018 (1:16 am)

They said it was killed with a shotgun with pellets from probably 00 buckshot…shotguns are smoothbore which means no rifling to match the ballistics of. On one hand smart to use a shotgun for that reason…but its still illegal to do it period regardless of if they are a problem ecologically. Let the state and federal government do their jobs of regulating them and if they wont then we need to use the courts to get them to do it.

wseadee November 27, 2018 (2:17 pm)

Sea Shepard is offering a $10,000 reward.

WSB November 27, 2018 (2:34 pm)

Yes, I finally got confirmation of that from their media person today so I’ll be adding. – TR

Rick November 27, 2018 (3:12 pm)

Aren’t tribal fishermen/women allowed to shoot these animals? I love coyotes but it’s OK to shoot them. How about the moles in your yard? And only YOUR yard? The self righteous sanctimony section raises its head yet again. Gotta love the hypocrisy.

MJ November 27, 2018 (4:41 pm)

Enough already, hopefully they catch the shooter soon and then convict him or her.

TJ November 27, 2018 (5:46 pm)

Well Jethro and Mok, do I really need to cue you in on the difference? Rats invade our houses and do damage, and carry diseases. Now I do think the sea lion population need to be reduced by 50%, just not citizens taking it into their own hands. There are numerous groups saying the population needs to be reduced, but the government at the local and state level never even acknowledge it. The optics of it would be too harsh for our pc politicians. To be honest I am surprised we haven’t seen these killings happen already. This could be one person doing this, and there is a deep hatred of sea lions by many commercial fishermen, tribal fishermen, and recreational fishermen

Fisher November 27, 2018 (9:05 pm)

Regardless of one perspective or the other, if an expectation is that the government handle the issue it will be too late either way. There is the fact that pinniped population is beyond capacity from a biological standpoint in the current ecosystem of puget sound. Expecting a governmental solution requires a consensus of people in a position of decision most likely not educated in the topic that will vote based on emotion or other NGO support in the best interest of maintaining an elected or appointed position. The government will not act appropriately to solve the problem with a balanced recourse that will have an effective impact on the rebalancing of the ecosystem. This current scenario is vigilante yes. But also likely an unheard voice/s that felt a need to express a more immediate solution based on reason I would hope. Indiscriminate it may not be…however current local and federal admistrations lack any effective consensus on action.

Paul Watson November 28, 2018 (6:54 am)

Sea Shepherd is a marine wildlife conservation society. We are not a rat conservation society. Killing sea lions is a violation of Federal law. Killing rats is not a violation of Federal Law. There is nothing arbitrary about this. Sea Shepherd has offered rewards for the killing of seals, dolphins, whales, sharks, sea-birds, fish and people, Many of these reward offers were successful.

Jethro Marx November 28, 2018 (12:58 pm)

Yeah, I’m familiar with Sea Shepard and it is well within their scope to take an interest in marine mammal killings. But you arbitrarily take an interest in some mammals more than others; it is an arbitrary choice to choose to hold certain animal lives as more valuable than others; it is, in fact, arbitrary to allow a robust population of whitetail deer in our state to be harvested with a hunting license but not a robust population of marine mammals. I like marine mammals of all kinds, but then again I think mosquitoes are kinda cool too. For the record, I don’t necessarily think sea lions should be culled, but a dead sea lion gets the same amount of mourning from me as that squirrel I accidentally ran over a few weeks ago- “Aww, crap. Circle of life, What?” If you want your $12,000 to make a difference in mammal lives, I’d suggest sending it to the West Seattle food bank. But helping humans is messy. Humans can disappoint you in ways a cuddly-looking marine mammal never can.
- Paul Watson November 28, 2018 (6:52 pm)
  
  99 cents of every charitable dollar goes to human charities. We are a marine wildlife organization, not a soup kitchen and it would in fact be illegal for us to collect donations for human causes. That would be a violation of our tax status.

rico November 28, 2018 (7:44 am)

Almost looks like there is more public outrage and investigative efforts for the this than what is done for the all the un-solved murders of PEOPLE in this city, weird.

Angie P November 28, 2018 (12:26 pm)

I think if you look at the comments on posts about murders, you’ll find that is not true. We can be outraged over more than one thing at a time. It’s not an either/or proposition.

maria montgomery November 28, 2018 (8:04 am)

We over fish, and by shooting seals that eat fish to stay alive we are destroying the bio diversity of the oceans. We cruelly murder mammals to protect our greed. The seals are part of an ecosystem that keep the oceans healthy and alive for the chance to rip out more fish than can be sustained. Static seas with reduced oxygen contribute enormously to global warmed. The oceans die so do we. Period.

Susan de Winton Blissett November 28, 2018 (8:07 am)

Why can’t people just leave these seals alone? They are just being exactly who they are meant to be. They are NOT eating my food. They are eating fish – which is definitely THEIR food.

Kat November 28, 2018 (8:16 am)

Thank you Sea Shepherd !

Jenny Powell November 28, 2018 (8:34 am)

I sure hope the person or people responsible for these despicable crimes are caught and made an example of. They are a threat to the biodiversity of the ecosystem that is already struggling and they need to be prevented from doing further, direct harm! Leave the Seals alone.

anonyme November 28, 2018 (10:19 am)

Orca eat more salmon than sea lions. Should we shoot them next? The threat to salmon populations is entirely due to human activity, human over-fishing, and human greed. If any species should be culled, it is not sea lions, nor any other species that relies on salmon or other fish to survive. Ironically, it is the predatory and parasitic behavior of the human species that has guaranteed its own extinction; unfortunately, we will have caused the mass extinction of many other species before that happens, a process that is already well underway.

Jaz November 28, 2018 (10:21 am)

Anybody who says any animal needs to be culled has zero idea of how nature works and could only have that viewpoint due to their selfish greed. For this reason they should be the last people who are allowed to have any say in such matters.Nature balances itself, always has done, always will do. If humans have upset that balance (as we always do) then humans should take measures of their own actions to repair that balance. Nature is ALWAYS right, and in the main, humans are dumb. Well done Sea Shepherd, please keep it up.

Wes C. Addle November 28, 2018 (11:47 am)

These animals are not in abundance in Elliott Bay. As someone that lives on Harbor Ave, I no longer hear any Sea Lions nor do I see any on the floating buoy. It saddens me that we no longer have these animals around. I always enjoyed hearing the echoes of their barks. Now that sound is gone.

Nia Simon November 28, 2018 (11:50 am)

This is wrong and a crime! I hope those that are engaging in such horrendous and violent crimes against Sea Lions can be brought to justice.

Alyson Walsh November 28, 2018 (12:51 pm)

They are simply trying to live as they have for thousands of years, humans have encroached themselves upon and destroyed so many of their habitats, we are the nuisances, why are we scapegoating the sea lions? Shooting a pinniped, because they are hungry and must eat is a crime, Humans that are capable of callously shooting innocent animals have major psychological problems and should seek help immediately.

Rick November 28, 2018 (1:59 pm)

How about that cheeseburger you had yesterday? Cows have rights also,no? And those unborn chickens you call omelettes. I could go on but the hypocrisy of the sanctimonious selfighteous tells me I’m just wasting my time. How was your turkey?

Pauk November 28, 2018 (6:50 pm)

Hi Rick, The last I heard cows, turkeys and chickens were not protected under Federal and it was not a crime. Killing Sea Lions is a Federal crime. And don’t assume everyone eats hamburgers, eggs and turkey.

Joseph Bailey November 28, 2018 (2:47 pm)

If Sea Sheppard is giving a ten thousand dollar reward for the shooter, I could have paid my house off this year . I’ll start carrying my phone on me when I’m out working amongst the guys shooting at the sea lions.

rico November 28, 2018 (3:26 pm)

Maybe one of the strategies to save the whales? Anyone remember long time ago when the Ballard Locks was the site of all sorts of attempts to regulate the sea lions ? How do they control the locks now with regard to that issue?Competing interests, can’t save everything? http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9804/08/trout.survival/ https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/A-Death-Sentence-for-Greedy-Sea-Lions-Extreme-3044780.php

Jools November 28, 2018 (4:43 pm)

This is just so very wrong, the ocean is the sea lions domain NOT ours, they need to eat fish to survive we don’t so whoever is shooting them I so hope they are caught and heavily fined!!!!!

Elizabeth November 28, 2018 (10:14 pm)

Hope they catch and convict this sea lion murderer soon.

Leona Mont November 28, 2018 (11:45 pm)

they are the part of ecological chain, if you kill then now – later there gonna be big problem with clean water

Charrie November 29, 2018 (12:41 am)

It seems like the murder of sea lions started happening after Senator Maria Cantwell and the rest of the WA state politicians in DC decided to make it legal to kill sea lions in the Columbia River to supposedly increase the salmon for the orcas. Humans need to stop overfishing and remove the dams and there would be enough salmon for all. Stop scapegoating the sea lions and pretending like that is a solution. Humans need to control their greed and stop the violence against those who cannot defend themselves.

Advocatewhat November 29, 2018 (1:45 pm)

I’m with jethro- if we’re going to support the sea lions, we need to also halt efforts to kill rats and Mosquitos.

Diane Barakat November 29, 2018 (3:43 pm)

If aliens were to land on our Planet and see the sorry state of our ecosystem, they would undoubtedly decide to cull the human race for conservation purposes. What we are doing to our Planet is beyond psychotic and devoid of any rationale. We are lucky to have an organization as pro-active as Sea Shepherd in the fight against our continued extermination of life on Earth. Their field is – as the name spells out – related to the oceans and the living species within the ocean. For those who criticize them: what have YOU done lately to save the environment and animals? Have you gone against governments, corporations, illegal poachers & fisherman or fishing vessels putting your life at risk to save the voiceless? If you have not lead by example, then you do not have the luxury or the right to criticize… in my eyes.

Linda Poynter November 29, 2018 (10:40 pm)

Thank you sea shepherd.. sea lions are only being sea lions.. just as they should.

wetone November 30, 2018 (10:26 am)

What I find so interesting is how big the rewards are for these acts against sea lions and other animals, yet when a human is shot, beat, and or killed there are very few times rewards are offered to find the guilty party…. a sign of the times.

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