Washington, July 10 -- Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez issued the following press release:
Yesterday, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez introduced H.R. 9637, the Protecting Columbia River Salmon Act, a bill which would allow Southwest Washington's Indian Tribes to lethally remove California and Steller sea lions in specific portions of the Columbia River. This bill is part of an effort by the Congresswoman to modify the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which has enforced rigid protections for sea lions - even outside of their native waterways - since 1972.
In the 1950s, California sea lion populations hovered around 8,000, spurring lawmakers to consider legislation to protect them. By the time the MMPA was introduced in 1972, populations had risen...