S-1340.1                   _______________________________________________

                                   SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8005

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Oke, Owen, Hargrove, Amondson, Erwin, Haugen, Snyder, Hochstatter, Deccio, M. Rasmussen and Roach)

Read first time 02/11/93.

Requesting the federal government to allow the state of Washington to permanently remove certain predatory seals and sea lions.

          TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, Harbor seals and sea lion populations have greatly expanded in recent years due to absolute protection afforded them under the Federal Marine Mammals Protection Act; and

          WHEREAS, Seals and sea lions are active predators upon anadromous fish such as salmon and steelhead trout; and

          WHEREAS, Anadromous fish populations are significantly reduced in numbers throughout Washington state and some stocks have been listed as threatened or endangered species; and

          WHEREAS, In order to allow certain salmon and steelhead populations to recover to, and be sustained at, viable levels it will be necessary to have more flexibility to actively manage seals and sea lions in identifiable areas where they cause unacceptable mortality levels in specific fish runs; and

          WHEREAS, The well-known situation of "Hershall the seal lion", at the Ballard Locks in Seattle, is an excellent example of sea mammal predation that is seriously harming a particular anadromous fish run and which has yet to be thwarted by nonlethal means; and

          WHEREAS, A long-term member of the Washington State Senate, who recently passed away, Senator A.L. "Slim" Rasmussen, had long championed the last resort solution to the "Hershall" problem, lethal removal; and

          WHEREAS, The lethal removal of seals and sea lions is currently prohibited under the Federal Marine Mammals Protection Act in most all cases; and

          WHEREAS, It is time that the federal government allow that predacious seals and sea lions be killed in order for salmon and steelhead to be allowed a reasonable chance to survive;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the President and Congress will recognize the wisdom of Senator A.L. "Slim" Rasmussen and modify the Marine Mammal Protection Act to provide for reasonable, balanced, and prudent population levels of seals and sea lions in the state of Washington and also provide for the active management of abundant populations at set levels determined with modern wildlife management science by federal and state management agencies, including the use of lethal removal when and where necessary.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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