It's the fur bags?

I saw a sea lion take a hooked fish at the mouth of the Sixes just yesterday.  Wasn't mine and the guy was bank fishing.

The sea lions are hunting much further up the Sixes than normal this year.  They used to congregate around the mouth, and were rare around the boat launch, now they're ranging upstream more than a mile to the first shallow riffles.

The MMPA did a lot - a LOT - to clean up the coasts and to greatly reduce the amount of garbage and raw sewage that was being dumped and pumped along the coasts, and I think it was a fine idea.

But there are some groups that make money - lots of money - by using a good law for their own benefit.  They make the most money if they can find an iconic animal as their poster-species, and the more photogenic the species, the more money they can make by "saving" it - and seals and sea lions look mighty cute in a photo.

Those groups have a disproportionate influence on the recovery and management plans for endangered species because they are non-profit organizations and represent themselves as being impartial.  They'll continue to have disproportionate influence until someone points out how much money they make by promoting their - completely fluid - agendas.

The sea lion recovery and management plans are crap and favor one species over all others, but you can be certain that when the salmon population collapses, and they fall to endangered numbers, there'll be millions of dollars made by "saving" them, too.

I saw a sea lion take a hooked fish at the mouth of the Sixes just yesterday.  Wasn't mine and the guy was bank fishing.

The sea lions are hunting much further up the Sixes than normal this year.  They used to congregate around the mouth, and were rare around the boat launch, now they're ranging upstream more than a mile to the first shallow riffles.

The MMPA did a lot - a LOT - to clean up the coasts and to greatly reduce the amount of garbage and raw sewage that was being dumped and pumped along the coasts, and I think it was a fine idea.

But there are some groups that make money - lots of money - by using a good law for their own benefit.  They make the most money if they can find an iconic animal as their poster-species, and the more photogenic the species, the more money they can make by "saving" it - and seals and sea lions look mighty cute in a photo.

Those groups have a disproportionate influence on the recovery and management plans for endangered species because they are non-profit organizations and represent themselves as being impartial.  They'll continue to have disproportionate influence until someone points out how much money they make by promoting their - completely fluid - agendas.

The sea lion recovery and management plans are crap and favor one species over all others, but you can be certain that when the salmon population collapses, and they fall to endangered numbers, there'll be millions of dollars made by "saving" them, too.

Wolves anybody? Same $%&#ing thing.we had sea lions clear up to the dalles dam.thought they couldn't get over Bonneville.

Wolves anybody? Same $%&#ing thing.we had sea lions clear up to the dalles dam.thought they couldn't get over Bonneville.

See!  See!  Wolves are mighty photogenic, too.

Up to the Dalles?  Good question: how'd they get there?

Wolves anybody? Same $%&#ing thing.we had sea lions clear up to the dalles dam.thought they couldn't get over Bonneville.

See!  See!  Wolves are mighty photogenic, too.

Up to the Dalles?  Good question: how'd they get there?

Could it be that they could possibly sneak through the locks with the ships?

Wolves anybody? Same $%&#ing thing.we had sea lions clear up to the dalles dam.thought they couldn't get over Bonneville.

See!  See!  Wolves are mighty photogenic, too.

Up to the Dalles?  Good question: how'd they get there?

Could it be that they could possibly sneak through the locks with the ships?

Good call.I bet that's how.

There was an article about them hitching rides on barges.

Wolves anybody? Same $%&#ing thing.we had sea lions clear up to the dalles dam.thought they couldn't get over Bonneville.

Difference is when wolves hit recovery goals we can hunt them. MMPA doesn't allow for any take.

If they go up in the locks or on barges, are they smart enough to go back out the same way(s)?

almost 20 years ago, I was fishing with my dad in the north fork of the lewis river.  We were in a "meat hole" with almost 100 other boats.   A sea lion popped his head up in the middle of all the boats.  Since we were sitting on top fo a 60' hole stacked with spring chinook, it made sense to me why he was there.  We all watched as he tore havoc over the river.  Eventually, he worked hs way up stream and away from the boats...shortly followed by the quietest guy in the hole.  Both Sea Lion and old timer rounded the bend in the river adn about 5 minutes later we herd an unmistakable sound....bang---chwwww-.  The old timer returned to the hole and continued to fish.  The sea lion floated by shortly after.... no one said a word.  I have no evidence or even a suspicion just an interesting coincidence.

I used to hear stories when I was a kid about "Halloween Burgers." Ground beef packed with a couple of Wilkinson Swords.