The dark side of conservation. Of course, what this article seems to gloss over is the reason why these fish are endangered to begin with. My guess is the activities of man: overfishing, dams, habitat depletion!  I do think the Humane Society has a very valid point. Remove these and others will just move into the area. But what to do? It's conceivable that the sea lions could unknowingly eat the salmon to extinction, and what then? What becomes of the sea lions when their preferred food is gone? - Dallas

Lawmakers debate whether to kill mass of sea lions in Pacific Northwest

House Natural Resources Committee panel is holding a hearing this morning about the Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act (HR 946), which, under its tame-sounding official name, would authorize tribal members in the Pacific Northwest to kill sea lions to allow the endangered wild salmon to replenish in the Columbia River.

"As Northwest residents spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year to protect salmon, California sea lions camp out at Bonneville Dam and other areas along the Columbia River and gorge themselves on endangered fish," Natural Resources Committee chairman Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) explained in a statement last month.

The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration in May authorized "lethal" removal of sea lions on the 140-mile stretch of the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington below the dam.

Read the rest on The Raw Story.