This project will be collaborative with the States of Oregon and Washington, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The scope of this project was modified and reviewed by the ISRP in the recent Mainstem and Program Support Categorical Review https://www.nwcouncil.org/reports/isrp2019-2 to include and emphasize removal of predatory sea lions in accordance with Section 120 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  Since the funding envelope for the project is similar to recent years, accommodating the shift in effort to removal of sea lions will result in a decrease in effort in the other two project objectives.

**CRITFC will not utilize BPA funds for direct or indirect lethal removal purposes until CRITFC obtains the Section 120 permit and CRITFC has completed all necessary environmental compliance requirements.  

Objective 1. (ongoing)  Conduct boat-based non-lethal sea lion hazing generally between March 1 and May 31, 2022.
Objective 2. (ongoing)  Enumerate sea lion abundance and estimate predation throughout the lower Columbia River.
**Objective 3. (new) Permanently remove sea lions from the Columbia River per NMFS delegated authority under MMPA Section 120 permit terms & conditions.


Objective 1. Conduct boat-based non-lethal sea lion hazing generally between March 1 and May 31, 2022.
The scope of the project includes a 3 person, boat-based, sea lion hazing crew operating 2-3 days a week for approximately 3 months near Bonneville Dam.  This crew will conduct non-lethal sea lion hazing, assist with trapping (not conduct the actual trapping), conduct pinniped counts for abundance estimates, and other field duties.  

Objective 2.  Enumerate sea lion abundance and estimate predation throughout the lower Columbia River.
We will implement a project to estimate sea lion predation outside of the ACOE observation area.  The ACOE observation project is limited to the Bonneville Dam tailrace area that is viewable from the deck of the Dam.  We plan to use tandem boat surveys to estimate sea lion abundance throughout the lower Columbia River.  CRITFC plans to divide the river into multiple reaches and survey those reaches using boats at different frequencies.  The first reach extends from Tanner Creek to the I-205 Bridge, the second reach is from the I-205 Bridge to the Cowlitz River, and the third reach is from the Cowlitz River to the mouth of the Columbia River.  The boat-based hazing crew will conduct surveys counting sea lions two to three days a week.  

**Objective 3. Permanently remove sea lions from the Columbia River per Section 120 permit.
In June 2020, the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho along with the four lower river tribes, and the the 3.6.D Committee submitted an application to NOAA to remove sea lions in the Columbia River and tributaries under Section 120 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  Additionally, the Nez Perce and Yakama tribes have passed resolutions delegating removal authority to CRITFC. NMFS granted the MMPA Section 120 permit to the states and tribes in August 2020. The Nez Perce Tribe, Yakama Nation, and Umatilla Tribe delegated removal authority to CRITFC and NMFS concurred with the delegation in 2021.

METHODS:
Boat hazing activities will occur during daylight hours between the Bonneville Dam face to 6 miles downstream.  The hazing boat will be crewed by three people (one boat captain, one data collector and one person hazing), and will coordinate activities with the state hazing boat (WDFW) and USDA hazing crews on Bonneville Dam.  Hazing will be boat-based only and include acoustic and tactile deterrents (seal bombs, cracker shells, rubber buckshot, and vessel chase) in an attempt to deter pinnipeds.  

Data on all sea lion encounters will be recorded following protocols established by the states which include the time and location of the initial encounter, species, direction of movement, fish kill information, numbers and types of deterrents used, and time, location and direction at the end of the encounter.  All data collected will be sent to ODFW/WDFW to be included in the overall hazing and monitoring evaluation.  In-season activities are summarized on a weekly basis by the Corps.  Included in those summaries are effects from boat-based hazing.  A collaborative annual report is also produced which details the project.  All activities funded by BPA will be included in this collaborative report.  

Project participants receive safety briefings from CRITFC, ACOE, ODFW, and WDFW personnel.  Briefings cover boat operations and clearance for activities in the Boat Restricted Zone (BRZ) below the dam, overhead hazards, lockout procedures, hazardous water conditions, personal safety equipment (PFDs, ear and eye protection), communications, and project planning details.  A safety protocol for pyrotechnic deployment from the boats will be discussed.  Boat teams receive briefings on vessel safety equipment and rescue procedures at the time of launch.  While inside the Boat Restricted Zone (BRZ), hazing boats maintain VHF-radio contact with the Bonneville Dam Vessel Control officer for status and vessel traffic updates. Vessel deployment is determined by the chain of command (boat operator, project leader, or project manager); if any team member believes it is too rough to deploy the vessel, they can make the decision not to go.  The team consults weather forecasts and evaluates current conditions every morning as a team in order to make a decision on vessel deployment.

Permanent removal of sea lions will occur following stipulations detailed in the Section 120 permit issued by NOAA.

OUTCOME/OBJECTIVES:
1. Hazing activities will attempt to deter sea lion presence near Bonneville Dam and its fishways in an attempt to reduce predation on ESA listed spring Chinook and steelhead.  While conducting these hazing activities, data will be collected and reported on sea lion:  1) abundance and distribution, 2) predation attempts and rates; and 3) effectiveness of deterrent actions.

2. Data collected will be added to the existing state, ACOE, and NOAA databases concerning sea lion presence away from the ocean, predation on ESA and non-ESA listed fish species, and the effectiveness of hazing on deterring sea lion presence.  Data collection and reporting will be consistent with and included in a field report similar to previous years (Wright et al. 2007).

3. Estimates of sea lion abundance in different river reaches.  Starting from upstream and moving to downstream reaches: the ACOE will enumerate sea lions within the observable distance in the Bonneville Dam tailrace; between Tanner Creek to the I-205 Bridge (approximately 25 miles) and between the I-205 Bridge and the Cowlitz River CRITFC will conduct weekly boat surveys to estimate sea lion abundance; and, from the Cowlitz River to the mouth of the Columbia monthly tandem boat surveys will be conducted to estimate sea lion abundance.

4. Permanent removal of predatory sea lions that are causing a significant negative impact on listed salmonids, lamprey, sturgeon and smelt. In addition, CRITFC will work with BPA to develop criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the lethal removal of CSL and SSL.  BPA will be conducting independent evaluations of the efficacy of sea lion removals on a periodic basis.  The goal is to develop draft criteria in the first contract period, so that BPA may begin its evaluations in subsequent contract periods.