Sea Lions Killed For Eating Endangered Salmon

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Last year New York City gassed Canada Geese in an effort to protect passenger planes from being downed near La Guardia Airport, and this year Oregon and Washington have decided to continue to euthanize sea lions to save endangered salmon stocks.

Wildlife officials on the west coast began killing sea lions last year in an effort to preserve wild salmon, and according to The Associated Press they've just picked up where they left off.

They tried "dropping bombs that explode underwater" and even fired "rubber bullets and bean bags from shotguns" to try scaring sea lions away from the area.

The AP reports that in 2009 11 of the animals were put to death while four were moved to zoos and aquariums.

According to the Seattle Weekly blog, last week a California sea lion was caught at the Boneville Dam, east of Portland, and given a lethal injection after the smart mammal was seen making use of the man made fish ladders that allow salmon to go upstream over the dam.

Another 63 sea lions have been marked to receive a death sentence for eating too much chinook salmon and annoying fishermen by stealing the fish out of their nets.

"To get on that list, we have to have observed them as distinct individuals," said Jessica Sall, spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife of the "repeat offenders." "They are not responding to hazing, and they're eating chinook salmon."