IB 
Union Calendar No. 220 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3069 
[Report No. 112–322] 
To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to reduce predation 
on endangered Columbia River salmon and other nonlisted species, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources 
DECEMBER 8, 2011 
Additional sponsors: Mr. DICKS, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. WALDEN, Ms. HERRERA 
BEUTLER, and Mr. SCHRADER 
DECEMBER 8, 2011 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
and ordered to be printed 
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A BILL 
To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to 
reduce predation on endangered Columbia River salmon 
and other nonlisted species, and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Endangered Salmon 
and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) There are 13 groups of salmon and 
steelhead that are listed as threatened species or en-
dangered species under the Endangered Species Act 
of 1973 that migrate through the lower Columbia 
River. 
(2) The people of the Northwest United States 
are united in their desire to restore healthy salmon 
and steelhead runs, as they are integral to the re-
gion’s culture and economy. 
(3) The Columbia River treaty tribes retain im-
portant rights with respect to salmon and steelhead. 
(4) Federal, State, and tribal governments have 
spent billions of dollars to assist the recovery of Co-
lumbia River salmon and steelhead populations. 
(5) One of the factors impacting salmonid pop-
ulations is increased predation by marine mammals, 
including California sea lions. 
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(6) The population of California sea lions has 
increased 6-fold over the last 3 decades, and is cur-
rently greater than 250,000 animals. 
(7) In recent years, more than 1,000 California 
sea lions have been foraging in the lower 145 miles 
of the Columbia River up to Bonneville Dam during 
the peak spring salmonid run before returning to the 
California coast to mate. 
(8) The percentage of the spring salmonid run 
that has been eaten or killed by California sea lions 
at Bonneville Dam has increased 7-fold since 2002. 
(9) In recent years, California sea lions have 
with greater frequency congregated near Bonneville 
Dam and have entered the fish ladders. 
(10) These California sea lions have not been 
responsive to extensive hazing methods employed 
near Bonneville Dam to discourage this behavior. 
(11) The process established under the 1994 
amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972 to address aggressive sea lion behavior is 
protracted and will not work in a timely enough 
manner to protect threatened and endangered 
salmonids in the near term. 
(12) In the interest of protecting Columbia 
River threatened and endangered salmonids, a tem-
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porary expedited procedure is urgently needed to 
allow removal of the minimum number of California 
sea lions as is necessary to protect the passage of 
threatened and endangered salmonids in the Colum-
bia River and its tributaries. 
(13) On December 21, 2010, the independent 
Pinniped-Fishery 
Interaction 
Task 
Force 
rec-
ommended lethally removing more of the California 
sea lions in 2011. 
(14) On August 18, 2011, the States of Wash-
ington, Oregon, and Idaho applied to the National 
Marine 
Fisheries 
Service, 
under 
section 
120(b)(1)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1389(b)(1)(A)), for the lethal re-
moval of sea lions that the States determined are 
having a ‘‘significant negative impact’’ on the recov-
ery of Columbia River and Snake River salmon and 
steelhead. 
(15) On September 12, 2011, the National Ma-
rine Fisheries Service announced it was accepting 
the States’ application for lethal removal of sea lions 
and that it would reconvene the Pinniped-Fishery 
Interaction Task Force to consider the States’ appli-
cation. This Act will ensure the necessary authority 
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