A 700-pound California sea lion found dead along the Duwamish River in West Seattle had been shot at least a dozen times, including seven times in the head, according to marine mammal responders.
The 7-foot adult male was discovered Sept. 18 near Harbor Island after a kayaker spotted the carcass from the West Duwamish Waterway and contacted Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Responders located the animal and called in SR3, a Des Moines-based marine wildlife hospital, which returned the next day with portable X-ray equipment
See the local news report below:
The images were grim. Numerous projectiles were visible in the sea lion’s head and other parts of its body. Casey McLean, executive director of SR3, said researchers could tell the animal had likely been shot from relatively close range.
“This was probably the most amount of projectiles I have seen on one body in my career,” McLean told KIRO Newsradio. “It was a lot.”
Because the animal was so large, SR3 could not X-ray the entire body, meaning the true number of bullets could be higher. A full necropsy was not performed because moving and disposing of a carcass that size would be difficult and expensive. McLean said the animal appeared healthy before the shooting and likely died close to where it was found; the carcass showed little decomposition and was believed to have been dead only several days.
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Who pulled the trigger — and why — remains unknown. McLean said hostility toward sea lions is often tied to the belief that they are responsible for declining salmon runs, something she rejects.
“This is not going to recover salmon populations,” McLean told KIRO 7. “And this is not the answer.”
California sea lions are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits killing or harassing marine mammals. NOAA says violations can carry civil penalties, criminal fines, up to a year in prison and, in some cases, forfeiture of a vessel.
Seal Sitters reported the killing to NOAA and urged anyone who witnesses gunfire over the water to call 911, then contact marine mammal responders.
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