Harger: I love sea lions. Some of them have to die, or $7 billion in salmon recovery goes in their adorable bellies

A U.S. House subcommittee heard testimony Tuesday on HR 9621, the Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act, which would let Washington and treaty tribes remove sea lions and harbor seals in specific locations under strict caps. Washington has spent nearly $4 billion—roughly $1 million daily—on salmon recovery under federal court order, but sea lion predation at bottlenecks like the Ballard Locks and Willamette Falls undermines these efforts. Sea lion removals at Willamette Falls reduced winter steelhead extinction risk from 89% to 11%, according to state estimates.