,,ib  ,union ,calendar ,no4 #bjh  #aaeth
 ,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4 ,r4     
#bjhc  ,report ,no4 #aae-bhi  ,,in ,,the
 ,,house ,,of ,,representatives  ,april 
#h1 #bjag ,ms4 ,herrera ,beutler 7for   
herself and ,mr4 ,schrader7 introduced  
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources
  ,september #e1 #bjag;,additional      
sponsors3 ,mr4 ,newhouse1 ,mr4 ,young of
 ,alaska1 and ,mrs4 ,mc,morris ,rodgers 
,september #e1 #bjag ,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   
,act4  #b4 ,findings ,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 ,all lower      
,columbia ,river tributaries contain    
listed species including ,chinook1 ,chum
 and ,coho salmon as well as winter-run 
steelhead4  7#b7 ,the people of the     
,northwest ,united ,states are united in
 their desire to restore healthy salmon 
and steelhead runs because 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 basin salmon and       
steelhead populations4  7#e7 ,one of the
 factors negatively impacting salmonid  
populations is increased predation by   
marine mammals1 including ,california   
sea lions4  7#f7 ,the population of     
,california sea lions has increased     

#aj-;fold over the last #c decades1 and 
is currently approximately #cjj1jjj     
animals4  7#g7 ,biologists estimate that
 in recent years as many as #c1jjj      
,california sea lions have been foraging
 from the lower #ade miles of the       
,columbia ,river up to ,bonneville ,dam 
during the peak spring salmonid run4    
7#h7 ,historically1 ,california sea     
lions1 whose habitat is fundamentally   
salt water1 did not venture very far up 
into the ,columbia ,river4  7#i7 ,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#aj7 ,federal1 ,state and ,tribal    
estimates indicate that sea lions are   
consuming at least #bj percent of the   
,columbia ,river spring chinook run and 
#ae percent of ,willamette ,river       
steelhead run1 two salmonid species     
listed under the ,endangered ,species   
,act of #aigc4  7#aa7 ,in recent years1 
,california sea lions have congregated  

with greater frequency near ,willamette 
,falls and ,bonneville ,dam and have    
entered the fish ladders that salmon    
must use to return to their historic and
 biological spawning grounds4  7#ab7    
,these ,california sea lions have not   
been responsive to extensive hazing     
methods employed to discourage this     
behavior4  7#ac7 ,the process           
established under the #aiid amendment to
 the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of
 #aigb to address predatory sea lion    
behavior negatively impacting threatened
 or endangered salmon runs is protracted
 and has not worked4  7#ad7 ,the        
,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric     
,administration has observed that-- 7,a7
 management efforts to reduce pinniped  
predation of endangered and threatened  
salmon and steelhead in the area around 
,bonneville ,dam has been insufficient  
to reduce the severity of the threat2   
and  7,b7 efforts need to focus more on 
the lower river and at ,willamette      
,falls4  7#ae7 ,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   
#c4 ,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 under the ,endangered  
,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4   
#aeca et seq47 is a vital priority2 and 
7#b7 the ,federal ,government should    
continue to fund lethal and nonlethal   
removal measures for preventing such    
predation4  #d4 ,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 #abj7;f7 of the   
,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of     

#aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #achi7;f77 is      
amended to read as follows3  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 to authorize the        
intentional lethal taking on the waters 
of the ,columbia ,river and its         
tributaries of individually identifiable
 sea lions that are part of a population
 that is not categorized under this ,act
 as depleted for the purpose of         
protecting species of salmon that are   
listed as endangered species or         
threatened species under the ,endangered
 ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  
#aeca et seq47 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
 #ajj 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 #aj percent 
of the annual potential biological      
removal level4  7#d7 ,training in       
natural resources management ,permit    
holders exercising lethal removal       
authority pursuant to this ,act shall be
 trained in natural resource management4

  7#e7 ,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#f7 ,,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#g7     
,suspension of permitting authority ,if1
 #e years after the date of the         
enactment of this subsection1 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 the ,secretary may suspend   
the issuance of permits under this      
subsection4  7#h7 ,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 the ,columbia ,river   
,inter-,tribal ,fish ,commission1 and   
the ,cowlitz ,indian ,tribe4  7#i7      
,individual pinniped exception ,for     
purposes of this section1 any pinniped  
located upstream of river mile #aab of  
the ,columbia ,river and all tributaries
 that include spawning habitat of       
threatened or endangered salmon or      
steelhead is deemed to be individually  
identifiable4  4  #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  ,september #e1 #bjag   

,committed to the ,committee of the     
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union and ordered to be printed