Representative Brian Baird of Washington, with co-sponsors Reps. Norman D. Dicks, Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Greg Walden of Oregon, and Bill Sali of Idaho, introduced HR 1769, the Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act, to the 110th Congress on Mar. 29, 2007.

This act amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to issue one-year permits for the lethal taking of California sea lions if the Secretary determines that alternative measures to reduce sea lion predation on threatened or endangered salmonid stocks in the Columbia River do not adequately protect the salmonid stocks from such predation. It limits the cumulative annual taking of California sea lions to one percent of the annual potential biological removal level of such sea lions. The act requires the Secretary to determine whether alternative measures to reduce sea lion predation on salmonid stocks will adequately protect such stocks.

Sept. 12, 2007: NOAA Fisheries Service provided responses to questions on HR 1769 (PDF 40KB) that arose during the hearing on Aug. 2, 2007.

Aug. 2, 2007: Chairwoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans, asked NOAA Fisheries Service to testify on this bill at a subcommittee hearing. Bob Lohn, NOAA Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Administrator, provided this testimony on HR 1769 (PDF 44KB).