Sea Lion Patrol - Gold Beach, Oregon
Sea Lion
Gold Beach, Oregon, is a great place to live, play, and own real estate. There’s such a vast array of natural splendor, it’s easy to find a waterview or private, forested property that suits your needs.
If you’re a fisherman, the Rogue is a world-class river with year around runs of salmon and steelhead to test your skill. In addition, Gold Beach is currently the test site for a ground-breaking program to resolve a clash between man vs nature. Numerous river/harbor communities along the Pacific coast are applauding it’s success.
The on-going dispute is over trophy-sized chinook salmon. Every July-September, a feud erupts.
An intervention became necessary, so in July 2006, the Sea Lion Patrol hazing program was launched in Gold Beach. It’s mission—to deter troublesome sea lions from entering the Rogue River.
Disgruntled anglers noticed the problem years ago. Each season, the salmon-thieves became increasingly more sneaky and aggressive, often snatching a hooked fish for their lunch while frustrated (putting it mildly) fishermen watched in dismay.
Pinnipeds are clever critters. The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects them. California sea lions and Eastern Stock Stellers (also protected by the Endangered Species Act) are the culprits causing the predicament at Rogue River. Salmon is a natural food source for these opportunistic predators, and it’s not uncommon for them to follow prey into fresh water.
On the Rogue, the dilemma intensified between sports fishermen and sea lions. It affected tourism and the local lifestyle.
Something had to be done. The situation demanded a program to thwart, without harming, the voracious fish snatchers and reverse the Rogue’s tarnished reputation.
Support for the Sea Lion Patrol program became a cooperative endeavor between the Port of Gold Beach, Curry Sportsfishing Association (CSA), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
It’s a humane, yet assertive, 3-pronged approach to control sea lions that also addresses local factors.
· First, modify dock structures to eliminate haul-out places for sea lions to rest and wait for an easy source of food.
· Next, curtail or eliminate the dumping of fish carcasses into the Rogue estuary to stop the attraction of nuisance animals.
· Third, employ non-lethal harassment activity during peak sport fishing times. Try above-and-below water noisemaker pyrotechnics (cracker shells, seal bombs) and tactile devices (water hoses, rubber bullets/buckshot) to dissuade nuisance sea lions from entering the estuary.
Now in its forth year, the Sea Lion Patrol in Gold Beach, Oregon, has yielded impressive results, setting a national protocol for future programs. Pinniped encounters in the salmon fishery plummeted to a mere fraction of recent years with no negative impacts to salmon detected nor signs of injury to marine mammals.
Thus far, it’s a win-win situation.
If you enjoy fishing, cast your line into the Rogue River at Gold Beach, Oregon, to catch world-class salmon and steelhead. Off-shore bottom fishing for ling cod, snapper and rockfish is some of the nation’s best. Perhaps your passion for fishing might lead to considering a relocation or vacation property in the Gold Beach area.
Call Karl Nettgen.
