S-4242               _______________________________________________

                                 SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 8018

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Metcalf, Owen, Conner, DeJarnatt, Garrett and Rasmussen)

Read first time 1/28/88.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, 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, The Washington state fish is the steelhead trout (@56Salmo gairdnerii), an anadromous species of fish which migrates from the saltwaters to the freshwaters of the state; and

          WHEREAS, The State of Washington has several species of salmon which also migrate from saltwater to freshwater and are of great importance to the commercial and sport fishery and to the economy of the State of Washington; and

          WHEREAS, Many of these steelhead and salmon runs have been reduced by unsound logging practices, habitat degradation, construction of hydroelectric and irrigation dams, and overfishing; and

          WHEREAS, The continued viability of strong runs of salmon and steelhead, including a valuable run of Lake Washington wild steelhead, has been marred by the explosion in population of certain marine mammals, especially California sea lions (ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS) and harbor seals (PHOCA VITULINA) which utilize salmon and steelhead as a food source; and

          WHEREAS, Marine mammal populations have increased dramatically on almost all estuaries at the mouths of rivers important for salmon and steelhead spawning as a result of protective federal legislation; and

          WHEREAS, Numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (one of the agencies responsible for marine mammal management) to control California sea lion predation at the Chittenden Locks in Seattle;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that:

          (1) Congress address the marine mammal predation of salmon and  steelhead resulting from the conservation measures contained in the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and its amendments, and establish a method for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in cooperation with the state of Washington, to develop and fund  nonlethal marine mammal predation control measures at the Chittenden Locks and other valuable migratory routes in order to protect  valuable salmon and steelhead runs, which are of such great value to the state of Washington; and

          (2) In addition, should these nonlethal management measures to mitigate the predation by marine mammals be ineffective, we respectfully request that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration be provided the means to control the predation of salmon and steelhead by marine mammals through the lethal removal of individual predators; and

          (3) Congress also fund both the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in order to address marine mammal research necessary to protect our valuable salmon and steelhead resources.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, 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.