Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act

Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act

(Sec. 3) This bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue one-year permits to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission for the lethal taking on the waters of the Columbia River or its tributaries of sea lions that are part of a population that is not categorized as depleted or listed as an endangered or threatened species in order to protect endangered and threatened species of salmon and other nonlisted fish species. These permits may be renewed by NOAA.

The permits may authorize the lethal taking of 10 sea lions or fewer. The cumulative annual taking of sea lions each year under all such permits is limited to 1% of the annual potential biological removal level.

These permits are exempted from environmental review requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for five years.

NOAA may suspend the issuance of such permits if, after five years, lethal removal authority is no longer necessary to protect salmonid and other fish species from sea lion predation.

Permit holders exercising lethal removal authority must be trained in wildlife management.

(Sec. 4) The bill: (1) states that it is a vital priority to prevent sea lions from preying on fish, recover listed salmonid stocks, and prevent future listings of fish stocks in the Columbia River; and (2) urges the federal government to fund lethal and nonlethal removal measures for preventing such predation.