,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #bdf #aacth  
,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #acjh
 ,report ,no4 #aac-ccj ,,in ,,the       
,,house ,,of ,,representatives  ,march  
#ba1 #bjac,mr4 ,hastings of ,washington 
7for himself1 ,mr4 ,walden1 ,mr4        
,schrader1 ,mr4 ,simpson1 and ,ms4      
,herrera ,beutler7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,natural ,resources   
,january #bc 7legislative day1 ,january 
#ba71 #bjad;,committed to the ,committee
 of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of  
the ,union and ordered to be printed  ,a
 ,,bill  ,to amend the ,marine ,mammal  
,protection ,act of #aigb to reduce     
predation on endangered ,columbia ,river
 salmon and other nonlisted species1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,endangered ,salmon and ,fisheries      
,predation ,prevention ,act 4  #b4      
,findings ,the ,congress finds the      
following3 7#a7 ,there are #ac groups of
 salmon and steelhead that are listed as

 threatened species or endangered       
species under the ,endangered ,species  
,act of #aigc that migrate through the  
lower ,columbia ,river4  7#b7 ,the      
people of the ,northwest ,united ,states
 are united in their desire to restore  
healthy salmon and steelhead runs1 as   
they are integral to the region's       
culture and economy4  7#c7 ,the         
,columbia ,river treaty tribes retain   
important rights with respect to salmon 
and steelhead4  7#d7 ,federal1 ,state1  
and tribal governments have spent       
billions of dollars to assist the       
recovery of ,columbia ,river salmon and 
steelhead populations4  7#e7 ,one of the
 factors impacting salmonid populations 
is increased predation by marine        
mammals1 including ,california sea      
lions4  7#f7 ,the population of         
,california sea lions has increased     
#f-;fold over the last #c decades1 and  
is currently greater than #bej1jjj      
animals4  7#g7 ,in recent years1 more   
than #a1jjj ,california sea lions have  

been foraging in the lower #ade miles of
 the ,columbia ,river up to ,bonneville 
,dam during the peak spring salmonid run
 before returning to the ,california    
coast to mate4  7#h7 ,the percentage of 
the spring salmonid run that has been   
eaten or killed by ,california sea lions
 at ,bonneville ,dam has increased      
#g-;fold since #bjjb4  7#i7 ,in recent  
years1 ,california sea lions have with  
greater frequency congregated near      
,bonneville ,dam and have entered the   
fish ladders4  7#aj7 ,these ,california 
sea lions have not been responsive to   
extensive hazing methods employed near  
,bonneville ,dam to discourage this     
behavior4  7#aa7 ,the process           
established under the #aiid amendment to
 the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of
 #aigb 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 term4  7#ab7 ,in the interest  
of protecting ,columbia ,river          

threatened and endangered salmonids1 a  
temporary 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 ,columbia ,river and its         
tributaries4  7#ac7 ,on ,december #ba1  
#bjaj1 the independent                  
,pinniped-,fishery ,interaction ,task   
,force recommended lethally removing    
more of the ,california sea lions in    
#bjaa4  7#ad7 ,on ,august #ah1 #bjaa1   
the ,states of ,washington1 ,oregon1 and
 ,idaho applied to the ,national ,marine
 ,fisheries ,service1 under section     
#abj7;b77#a77;,a7 of the ,marine ,mammal
 ,protection ,act of #aigb 7#af         
,u4,s4,c4 #achi7;b77#a77;,a771 for the  
lethal removal of sea lions that the    
,states determined are having a         
significant negative impact on the      
recovery of ,columbia ,river and ,snake 
,river salmon and steelhead4  7#ae7 ,on 
,september #ab1 #bjaa1 the ,national    

,marine ,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'         
application4 ,this ,act will ensure the 
necessary authority for permits under   
the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of 
#aigb to be issued in a timely fashion4 
7#af7 ,during a ,june #ad1 #bjaa1       
hearing1 the ,committee on ,natural     
,resources of the ,house of             
,representatives received testimony from
 ,state and tribal witnesses expressing 
concern that significant pinniped       
predation of important ,northwest fish  
resources other than salmonids is       
severely impacting fish stocks          
determined by both ,federal and ,state  
fishery management agencies to be at low
 levels of abundance1 and that this     
cannot be addressed by section #abj of  
the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of 
#aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #achi71 which as in

 effect before the enactment of this    
,act restricted control of predatory    
pinnipeds' impact only with respect to  
endangered salmonids4  #c4 ,taking of   
sea lions on the ,columbia ,river and   
its tributaries to protect endangered   
and threatened species of salmon and    
other nonlisted fish species ,section   
#abj of the ,marine ,mammal ,protection 
,act of #aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #achi7 is  
amended by striking subsection 7f7 and  
inserting the following3  7f7 ,temporary
 marine mammal removal authority on the 
waters of the ,columbia ,river or its   
tributaries  7#a7 ,removal authority    
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
this ,act1 the ,secretary may issue a   
permit to an eligible entity authorizing
 the intentional lethal taking on the   
waters of the ,columbia ,river and its  
tributaries of sea lions that are part  
of a healthy population that is not     
listed as an endangered species or      
threatened species under the ,endangered
 ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  

#aeca et seq471 to protect endangered   
and threatened species of salmon and    
other nonlisted fish species4  7#b7     
,permit process  7,a7 ,in general ,an   
eligible entity may apply to the        
,secretary for a permit under this      
subsection4  7,b7 ,deadline for         
consideration of application ,the       
,secretary shall approve or deny an     
application for a permit under this     
subsection by not later than #cj days   
after receiving the application4  7,c7  
,duration of permit ,a permit under this
 subsection shall be effective for no   
more than one year after the date it is 
issued1 but may be renewed by the       
,secretary4  7#c7 ,limitations  7,a7    
,limitation on permit authority ,subject
 to subparagraph 7,b71 a permit issued  
under this subsection shall not         
authorize the lethal taking of more than
 #aj sea lions during the duration of   
the permit4  7,b7 ,limitation on annual 
takings ,the cumulative number of sea   
lions authorized to be taken each year  

under all permits in effect under this  
subsection shall not exceed one percent 
of the annual potential biological      
removal level4  7#d7 ,delegation of     
permit authority ,any eligible entity   
may delegate to any other eligible      
entity the authority to administer its  
permit authority under this subsection4 
7#e7 ,,nepa ,section #ajb7b77;,c7 of the
 ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act  
of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dccb7b77;,c77  
shall not apply with respect to this    
subsection and the issuance of any      
permit under this subsection during the 
#e-year period beginning on the date of 
the enactment of this subsection4  7#f7 
,suspension of permitting authority ,if1
 #e years after enactment1 the          
,secretary1 after consulting with ,state
 and tribal fishery managers1 determines
 that lethal removal authority is no    
longer necessary to protect salmonid and
 other fish species from sea lion       
predation1 may suspend the issuance of  
permits under this subsection4  7#g7    

,eligible entity defined ,in this       
subsection1 the term eligible entity    
means each of the ,state of ,washington1
 the ,state of ,oregon1 the ,state of   
,idaho1 the ,nez ,perce ,tribe1 the     
,confederated ,tribes of the ,umatilla  
,indian ,reservation1 the ,confederated 
,tribes of the ,warm ,springs           
,reservation of ,oregon1 the            
,confederated ,tribes and ,bands of the 
,yakama ,nation1 and the ,columbia      
,river ,inter-,tribal ,fish ,commission 
4  #d4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the   
sense of the ,congress that-- 7#a7      
preventing predation by sea lions1      
recovery of listed salmonid stocks1 and 
preventing future listings of fish      
stocks in the ,columbia ,river is a     
vital priority2  7#b7 permit holders    
exercising lethal removal authority     
pursuant to the amendment made by this  
,act should be trained in wildlife      
management2 and  7#c7 the ,federal      
,government should continue to fund     
lethal and nonlethal removal measures   

for preventing such predation4  #e4     
,treaty rights of federally recognized  
,indian tribes ,nothing in this ,act or 
the amendment made by this ,act shall be
 construed to affect or modify any      
treaty or other right of any federally  
recognized ,indian tribe4  ,january #bc 
7legislative day1 ,january #ba71        
#bjad;,committed to the ,committee of   
the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the  
,union and ordered to be printed