Another dead sea lion found on West Seattle shore

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

The photo is from Kersti Muul, who reports another dead California sea lion has washed up on a West Seattle beach. This one, like the one found a month ago and others earlier in the year, has what could be bullet wounds, she says, while also noting that it’s considerably decomposed. The carcass has been secured to a log south of Alki Point; we haven’t yet heard about necropsy plans but will be checking with Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which Kersti says is aware of this. As shown in her photo (pre-securing), the carcass is marked with green paint to show that it’s been noted.

CH December 31, 2019 (11:17 pm)

This is so sad and frustrating! Another sea lion dead and no one caught yet? These sea lion killer(s) need to be caught and given the harshest of punishments!!! Human beings of this nature killing innocent animals is disgusting and I hope they are found sooner than later. Haven’t there been at least a dozen sea lions shot dead this year in west Seattle? How has the person(s) responsible not been found yet??? If anyone has seen anything suspicious – people harming these precious creatures, please contact the police immediately. These poor helpless sea lions, I wish there was a way I could help catch those criminals. This is awful…

Greg January 1, 2020 (8:31 am)

There were quite a few West Seattleites on a Facebook group claiming that “California” sea lions implied they were an invasive species and should be shot. The mods shut down the thread without letting the truth be clear and obvious.
- Guy January 1, 2020 (11:27 am)
  
  It’s amazing how many scientists read and comment on these blog stories.
  - Greg January 1, 2020 (2:52 pm)
    
    The primary sources that show this are readily available, and the reward for information leading to the prosecution of the shooter is now $20,000.

anonyme January 1, 2020 (11:38 am)

It’s time these hunters became the hunted.

Alki resident January 1, 2020 (12:50 pm)

Those sea lions are far from a precious creature.

Kersti muul January 1, 2020 (2:52 pm)

All life is precious.
Also John January 1, 2020 (7:30 pm)

We are by far the furthest from a ‘precious creature’. Look at what we’ve done to the Seattle area in 150 years… Does that give us the right to kill our own?
CH January 1, 2020 (8:52 pm)

Alki Resident – Not sure why you do not consider sea lions precious. To each their own I suppose. I myself adore these animals and consider them as such. It’s fun watching them at Alki playing and sunbathing in the water. I love animals and agree with Kersti wholeheartedly in saying “All life is precious”. Humans do far worse than these beautiful animals ever did. No one should be hurting sea lions. Period. And if it is a fisherman killing sea lions because they’re eating fish, does that mean they’re going to kill other fishermen for catching more fish too? It is not right and disgusting that someone is killing these poor creatures for whatever reason it might be…they need to be found and punished.
Thomas Wood January 2, 2020 (5:07 am)

I don’t think the salmon are going to miss the sealions
- Bob January 3, 2020 (5:40 am)
  
  Predators are essential for a healthy ecosystem

Gretchen F January 1, 2020 (3:13 pm)

I saw the sea lion bumping up against the riprap seawall at Me Kwa Mooks Monday morning and alerted SS’s. They indicated that they had received another report about it last week.

Ben F January 2, 2020 (7:37 am)

I abhor poaching. Shooting sea lions illegally is plain wrong, and the people doing this should be caught and punished.
However, I do understand the poachers’ perspective. Excluding spawning habitat destruction, sea lions and seals do, by far, the most damage to our salmon stocks. From one of two recent studies (articles describing the studies are linked below):
“seals and sea lions are decreasing potential returns by about 162,000 adult chinook each year. That’s twice the number eaten by killer whales and roughly six times as many as caught in Puget Sound by tribal, commercial and recreational fishers combined.”
The Marine Mammal Protection Act has really worked; too well, in fact. At this point, the best option is to open a limited season for seal and/or sea lion hunting.
And before anyone says that we should just cut back on fishing, it’s not that simple. Salmon consumption from fishing has decreased steadily (and dramatically) for the last 30+ years, yet overall consumption has not decreased. The food web is incredibly complicated, but we do know that the pinnipeds are having a huge impact on the salmon populations.https://www.eopugetsound.org/magazine/is/predators-chinook https://www.eopugetsound.org/magazine/is/predators-chinook-2

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