Sea Lions Photo Gallery: A West Coast Eco-War A fleet of doe-eyed whip smart sea lions is laying siege to the Pacific Northwest, wreaking havoc on surf breaks, fishing lines, and endangering salmon runs. Photograph by Ami Vitale
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Army Corp of Engineers capture and mark sea lions in the Bonneville Dam area and relocate them to Astoria, Oregon, to monitor their abundance and movements in the lower Columbia River and its tributaries.
These efforts are part of a study to examine sea lion foraging activities in the inland waters and to evaluate any impact they might have on salmonids in the Columbia River Basin. The sea lions were branded and equipped with a combination of flipper tags, numbered visual patches, VHF radio tags, and satellite-linked transmitters. —Photographer Ami Vitale
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