Euthanizing Sea Lions.

Three years ago, I interviewed Oregonian Rob Maxey about problems that he was having with sea lions. "We were releasing a rock fish that you have to release. When we were hell of it fishing and caught the wrong kind of fish, it jumped in to my boat and tried to take it from me. I have personally seen sea lions jump on docks and steel halibut just like the one in San Diego. It's nuts. My personal take on this is that it is a very simple thing. These animals have to call themselves up on shore and sleep during the day. We need to shoo them off the places they are not supposed to be. Peoples private property, beaches, boats, the problem will take care of itself. They will self regulate but as long as we allow them to come up and as soon as it lays on your dock you can't touch it, then they learn and more and more come there. If a bear came and built a den on your deck you would kick him off. If a lion grab something out of your hand and bit you you would have it killed. But it's a sea lion and we can't touch it. It's just a matter of time until someone gets killed."

The National Marine Fisheries Service approved the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's request to trap and euthanize up to 93 animals a year on the lower Willamette River. Officials believe that removing them will help save threatened winter steelhead and spring chinook salmon.