,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ccae ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #ca1 #bjah ,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to allow for the taking of pinnipeds on the ,columbia ,river and its tributaries to protect endangered and threatened species of salmon and other nonlisted fish species4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,predation ,reduction of ,salmon ,act4 #b4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 prevention of predation by sea lions1 recovery of salmonid stocks listed under the ,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq471 and prevention of the future listings of fish stocks in the ,columbia ,river under such ,act are vital priorities2 and 7#b7 the ,federal ,government should continue to fund lethal and nonlethal removal of sea lions as well as measures for preventing such predation4 #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 #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 and 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 or stock that is not categorized under this ,act as depleted or strategic for the purpose of protecting-- 7,a7 species of salmon1 steelhead1 or eulachon that are listed as endangered species or threatened species under the ,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq472 and 7,b7 species of lamprey or sturgeon that are not listed as endangered or threatened under such ,act but are listed as a species of concern4 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 timelines and procedures described in subsection 7c7 shall apply to applications for permits under this subsection in the same manner such timelines apply to applications under subsection 7b74 7,c7 ,coordination ,the ,secretary shall establish procedures for coordination among eligible entities1 including issuance of permits and permit requirements1 application procedures and timelines1 geographic and species-specific considerations1 and monitoring and periodic review4 7,d7 ,duration of permit ,a permit under this subsection shall be effective for a period of not more than #e years and may be renewed by the ,secretary4 7,e7 ,coordination with other tribes ,to the extent practicable1 prior to issuing a permit under this subsection1 the ,secretary shall consult with all ,indian tribes with legal or historic interests in the protection of salmonid species in the area of the ,columbia ,river and its tributaries described in paragraph 7#h74 7#c7 ,limitations on annual takings ,the process for determining limitations on annual take of sea lions shall follow the process established under subsection 7c71 and 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 level for sea lions4 7#d7 ,requirements of takings 7,a7 ,in general ,intentional lethal takings under this subsection shall-- 7i7 be humane within the meaning of such term under section #c7d72 7ii7 use capture1 handling1 transportation1 and euthanasia protocols that are based on standards propagated by an ,institutional ,animal ,care and ,use ,committee2 7iii7 not involve the use of firearms1 as defined in section #iba7;a7 of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 except as a form of secondary euthanasia2 and 7iv7 be implemented by agencies or qualified individuals described in subsection 7c77#d71 or by individuals employed by the eligible entities described in paragraph 7#f74 7,b7 ,remains ,the remains of any sea lion taken and euthanized pursuant to this subsection shall1 upon request of an ,indian tribe with a legal or historic interest in the protection of salmonid species in the area of the ,columbia ,river and its tributaries described in paragraph 7#h7 and that has a demonstrated historic cultural practice of using sea lion remains in tribal cultural practices1 and in accord with procedures established by the ,secretary1 be distributed to that tribe4 7#e7 ,suspension of permitting authority ,if1 #e years after the date of the enactment of the ,predation ,reduction of ,salmon ,act1 the ,secretary1 after consulting with ,state and tribal fishery managers1 determines that lethal removal authority is no longer necessary to protect the species described in paragraph 7#a7 from sea lion predation1 the ,secretary shall suspend the issuance of permits under this subsection4 7#f7 ,eligible entity defined 7,a7 ,in general ,in this subsection1 subject to subparagraph 7,b71 the term eligible entity means the ,state of ,washington1 the ,state of ,oregon1 and the ,state of ,idaho4 7,b7 ,memoranda of understanding for additional eligibility 7i7 ,in general ,an eligible entity described in subparagraph 7,a7 may enter into a memorandum of understanding with any ,indian tribe with legal or historic interests in the protection of the species described in paragraph 7#a7 in the area of the ,columbia ,river and its tributaries described in paragraph 7#h7 for deterrence and removal of sea lions4 7ii7 ,considerations ,in determining eligibility under this subparagraph1 the ,secretary shall consider the capacity of each ,indian tribe to manage wildlife to meet the requirements of this ,act4 7#g7 ,individual exception ,for purposes of this subsection1 any sea lion located between ,columbia ,river river mile #aab and the ,bonneville ,dam1 or in any tributary to the ,columbia ,river with a confluence below the ,bonneville ,dam that includes spawning habitat of threatened or endangered salmon or steelhead is deemed to be individually identifiable4 7#h7 ,significant negative impact exception ,for purposes of this subsection1 any sea lion located between ,columbia ,river river mile #aab and the ,bonneville ,dam1 or in any tributary to the ,columbia ,river with a confluence below ,bonneville ,dam that includes spawning habitat of threatened or endangered salmon or steelhead is deemed to be having a significant negative impact on the decline or recovery of salmonid fishery stocks described in subsection 7b77#a74 7#i7 ,definition ,in this subsection1 the term ,indian tribe has the meaning given such term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 4 #d4 ,treaty rights of federally recognized indian tribes ,nothing in this ,act or the amendments made by this ,act shall be construed to enlarge1 affect1 or modify any treaty or other right of an ,indian tribe 7as defined in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd771 except as expressly set forth in this ,act or the amendments made by this ,act4 #e4 ,report ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of the ,interior shall study and report to ,congress on the potential effects of the lethal taking of sea lions on the recovery of salmonid stocks in the waters of the ,columbia ,river and the tributaries of the ,columbia ,river4