Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-07-19
WAR ON THE SEA LIONS
Oregon and Washington Salmon Fisher
men Would Exterminate Them.

men WOulu ENtermIuate
( Fishermen OF the north Pacific coast
are. undertaking a movement for the
destruction of the sea lions, the invet-
crate enemies of salmon and other 70 ID
fishes, and which annually make meal
culable rayages in the schools Of Chi
| hooks, steel heads, and other varieties
of salmon that hover off the Washing
| ton and Oregon coast. The last Greg N
| legislature passed a bill offering a
| bounty of $3.50 for each sea lion killed
in the waters of the state within ono
marine league of the Oregon shore.
Faulty wording of the bill renders the
money set aside for the purpose un-
available, and the Fishermen's Protecr
tive Union has raised fund by private
subscription to hire men to shoot the
| lions at their breeding grounds.
How many salmon each of these
monsters kills each day is purely mat
ter Of conjecture, but instances are
known whore single sea lion has kill
ed aud eaten eighteen salmon within a
very few minutes, and it is certain that
many hundreds of thousands of royal
Chineek salmon are killed every year
by these pests. When fishing the lions
usually travel in groups of from six to
eight, and they will follow a school OF
fish until they become quite dainty and
will take but one bite from the choicest
part of a salmon, leaving the remainder
Of the fish to float ashore or to be de-
voured by the scavangers of the seas
The lions vary in size, but when fully
grown average about s or 10 feet In
length, although specimens have bee1
seen fully IS feet long and which would
weigh 1000 opunds.
II is during the sumner months that
the lions do the greatest amount Of
damage. They are numerous at many
places along the Pacific coast, but the;
favorite rendezvous appears to be In
the neighborhood of the mouth Of the
Columbia river. Thousands of then
congregate at Seal Rocks, few miles
south of the Tillamook Lighthouse dur.
ing the breeding season. These rocks
are situated well out from the beach
and can be reached only during the ex
IRENE low tides of the sumer months
thus rendering the retreat of the hons
comparatively safe from attack except
during solated periods. After leaving
the rocks at The close Of the breeding
Sc ason the lions are even more voraclous
than usual, and the schools of fish IN
that region of the ocean have shofs
shrift Numbers of the lions gather of
the mouth of the Columbia river and
the sands at the jetty are black with
them during the warm hours of the day.
The huge mammals appear to be warn
ell by instinct of the approach OF
school of salmon, which is always tho
signal for hurried putting to sea, aud
before the return thousands of the
choicest fish in the world have harm de-
voured or so badly mutlated that they
will die Commercially the sea lions
are of little value, and not enough can
be realized from their sale To make the
killing OF them profitable. This, col-
pied with the extreme difficulty OF So
curing the carcasses Of the animals, az
the lions take to the water as soon as
they are shot, makes the hunting OF
them precarious means of livelihood
and renders It absolutely necessary that
q bounty be paid if the lions are to be
oxterminated The hides, which weigh
when green about 70 pounds, SCI. ~
lalf a cent a pound, The whiskers "
the male sell for from 10 to 10 cents fo-
the largest, which are from 10 to IL
inches in length. Those OF the female
are fewer in nurnber and less valuable.
but longer some reaching IS inches In
length.
A vast amount of valuable fishing
gear is destroyed each year by III
lions. A big male lion, while in pur-
suit of a salmon. will become entangled
in n gill net Or trap, and before it can
possibly be released WILL by its dt',Ger-
ate lashings and biting, tear the Wob
Into shreds. The amount of damag,
done each season would be difficult 70
estimntc , but it is certainly enormous
and their utter determination at the
least would be of untold bens'it to the
fishing industry Of the c1ast.--S1n
Francisco Bulletin.
Il Pneumatic Cote" is'Io