Real sea lion problems

[Law Hand]

http://www.kcra.com/video/21686503/index.html

[Matt]

I don't like them when they steal fish or harrass me, but I would never shoot one, and I have definitely had some scary moments with them.

[taggermike]

The full response with 12 heavily armed wardens smashing down the door is a bit distresseing. The shot of the little kid with the assault rifle weilding officer next to him is ugly too. They knew the fool had a gun but could they have perhaps apprehended him on his way to work with out exposing the family to that trauma? I've seen video of suspected murderers taken down with less force. Is this what we have to look forward to? Mike

[desert_s10]

I don't agree with shooting seals ONLY because I cant buy a seal tag to do it legally. They did it to make an example of him. Of course there are better ways of apprehending a suspect but that doesn't make for good PR. Who do you think called the media?

[Billy V]

What was the reason or the circumstances for the shooting ?

[dsafety]

Billy,

According to the UT, the guy was pissed because the sea lion kept taking his fish. Good thing that never happens off La Jolla.

Protecting marine mammals is a good idea that has resulted in some unintended consequences. Before we became so civilized, marine mammal populations were kept in check by natural predators such as sharks and even bears or mountain lions. Many of these natural predators are now gone so the seal and seal lion populations have increased to the point where have become a nuisance to humans.

A couple familiar examples come to mind. The cute seals have won out over human children at the Children's Pool, (soon to be officially known as the "Casa Marine Mammal Preserve". The sea lions are no dummies. The have learned that it is much easier to steal bait and hooked fish from fishermen rather than earning their lunch the way it has been done for many thousands of years before Man interfered.

Now I am not suggesting that the protections that seals and sea lions currently enjoy be removed. I am suggesting, however, that we need to keep things in prospective when addressing this issue. Seals and sea lions have become a nuisance because of Man's behavior.

If we stay on the path we are currently following it is entirely possible that some local fisheries may become decimated. Not as a result of over-fishing by humans but from marine mammal overpopulation.

It's something to think about.

Bob

[Fiskadoro]

The seal in question was a large bull that had been hanging out with five other seals for over a year at the confluence with the American River, and Sacramento river roughly a 100 miles from the ocean.

When asked why the seals were there a biologist said: "The animals likely are here because of an imbalance in their population or their environment that has driven them to travel farther for food."

Then it occurred to me....What population imbalance is that? Overpopulation because a lack of action by man.. Perhaps?

For thousands of years that area was inhabited by Native Americans who harvested the rivers for salmon for food. Any seal that came up the river would of just been killed by the Native Americans and eaten.

So the natural balance was that seals native to the marine environment could not eat Salmon in their river spawning runs, because of...... Man.

Man as part of.... rather then aside of.... the natural balance of nature... what a concept, and certainly a concept that is almost completely overlooked in management..

Now we have protections that do not allow man to kill any seals, and that is precisely the imbalance involved here.

What the environmentalists want to pretend is that nature should exist as if man never existed, but that ignores the fact that man has been a part of nature, part of the natural balance for hundreds of thousands of years.

If we want a more balanced natural picture in the future it would have to be based on historic roles. Certainly we should allow man to kill seals in some conditions, like when they swim into salmon runs.

There is a difference between killing seals when the come into harbours or river systems where they would of traditionally been killed and going out to the rookeries and slaughtering baby seals for their skins.

We have a role to play as a top predator, but it has to be used in moderation to fit the historic balance of nature. That is what the environmentalists and their blanket laws of protection... overlook.



Jim

[Matt]

I know that Josh has had more than one uncomfortable "situation" with a sealion....a.k.a Knothead, and I was fishing with Brad and Tyler a few years ago when the aforementioned knothead gave Tyler a real close looking over and a small bump!

Also while hoopnetting last year, I got in a tug of war with one over my last net with Rusty helping in us winning that battle but was then followed back over across the entire bay to the launch ramp by the big SOB in Sd bay where he barked and charged us!


I don't want to see people hunting and slaughtering them, but some culling by the DFG wouldn't hurt that population much!

[SeaEagle_1]

as mentioned already Tman, animals that attack man and even our pets are hunted down and killed to insure the publics' safety. hell a coyote is seen walking around and we hear about it on the news and DFG go's out to scare them away!

now some of you guys have mentioned seals and sea lions getting very aggressive (and i have had my own run-ins with them). for example Matt's recounting of the tug-a-war and the charging seal when he was on the beach! if a coyote or a mountain lion had done that it would have been hunted down and shot the moment it came to light. that type of learned behavior can become VERY dangerous to man. so why is it when we have a seal or sea loin doing the same thing we don't kill it?

on more then one occasion had a seal eying me as though i was invading his feeding grounds. and for a moment i thought he might jump onto my yak as though i was challenging him. and we all know what happens when you look a wild animal in the eye or it thinks you are challenging it.

so i say if a seal or sea lion shows aggressive action to any human that animal should be put down to insure the safety of all.

[bellcon]

I think they are cute
But I would kill one if I felt my life or yours was in danger...

Of course this guy would be a helluva lot easier to deal with:



Than this big-o beast:
(I was glad he was sleeping, and the pic does him no justice)

[ronbo613]

I had a large sea lion try and climb on my kayak about three miles off of Oceanside. Luckily, a few whacks of my 1 lb. paddle on the 300 lb. beast persuaded him to go back to swimming. Had a few fish stolen by them as well, but I guess they gotta eat too.
Here's a sea lion macking a yellowtail I caught. Fair is fair; I need to eat too.
I move way inland and what do you know; sea lions are parked in front of the fish ladders of the Bonneville Dam here in the Columbia Gorge eating salmon and sturgeon; fish that cost taxpayers millions of dollars trying to keep from going extinct.
Humans do not seem to be able to replicate the balance of nature; no matter how hard they try.

[Matt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE5pGeCUM-Y



"OH MY GOD IT'S COMING RIGHT FOR US!!"

[Oolie]

save the whales.


shoot the seals.

[young mola]

its their house, were invading it. with 'fishermen' like these, sometimes i dont think the mlpa is such a bad idea.

[dsafety]

Young Mola,

While I respect your right to have an opinion, my opinion is that that may need to come up with a new moniker. I propose "Naive Mola" as one to consider.

One of the main reasons that seal lions, (not seals), have become a problem is that Man has stepped in and messed up the balance of nature. We have protected these animals to the point that their populations have exploded. Sea lions were never significantly present in our rivers until we built the dams which caused spawning fish to hold in a confined space making them easy prey for an opportunistic seal lion.

Just as we do in this forum when a big bite is on, one happy sea lion told a few of his friends about the easy pickings and soon there was a great congregation of non-native sea lions decimating the native fish population. Man caused this problem and Man should fix it.

As for your comment regarding the MLPA being a good idea, I will let others weigh in on that subject. I hope you are wearing your body armor.

Bob

[Billy V]

Originally Posted by young mola

its their house, were invading it. with 'fishermen' like these, sometimes i dont think the mlpa is such a bad idea.

Thats because you don't know squat about the MLPA, or maybe you are one of those brainwashed children that were bussed in by the environmental extremists.

Sorry Kid but you need to research the facts.

[Gino]

Young Mola, you say that now, till they shut down your local fishery. Then youll be back here pissing and moaning like the rest of us. but with less repsect on your shoulders.


As far as Seals go i see no future resolution to the problem, even if DFG were to create a culling program. I would be met with all kinds of controversey. DFG here is nothing like DFG in other states, alot of people dont understand that. When green money bankers (packard foundation) and many others who can pump money into shutting down local fisheries entirely. Theyd shut down Seal Culling in a heartbeat, let alone the very idea of DFG officials spekaing on it would make local news. Every enviormental gorup will be screaming out against it as if they tore a labia.

All we can do is put up with them. And when more Great Whites and large Makos start showing up and a swimmer is attacked... Well the enviormentalist will just spin it off as if the great whites dont have enough natural food to eat, and we need to protect more!

its a poop sandwich and we all have to take a bite. how much you chew, thats up to you.

[Whizz Bang]

Matt: LMFAO..... this thread made me think of those two.

Young Mola: you have alot of growing up to do and I hope you do it quick (and preferably out of the poll booth). Ignorance is never an excuse.....nor is youth...grow up fast.

[wade]

[T Bone]

there was a guy 2 years ago who stabbed and killed one with a bait knife on that fishing pier thats by that launch on the Wedge side.I dont know what became of him.Newport gets seriously overrun.2 years ago the baitbarge was fishable but now it is nearly impossible to land any fish.I hooked one and was towed a great distance at probably 5-7 mph.I had to thumb the spool to get him off.what are we allowed to use as a deterrent,soft air gun perhaps?