Lots of seals at the Snohomish boat launch

[nanum]

Anybody know why there is so many seals at the Snohomish boat launch? I counted at least 12 of them and they have been there for a month or so. Im getting really concerned for our upcoming fishing season  and im not sure how the salmon and steelhead are going to survive that death trap.

[CP]

My guess is they are eating the spring chinook.  They have been feeding in Possession Sound for the last several weeks.  They will follow the food as far as they can.


Which boat launch are you referring to?

[nanum]

The public Snohomish launch. Ive seen them other years but not nearly in these numbers. Been seeing them up above 522 also.

[7mmfan]

It's not uncommon to see them in the lower Sky when the fish are running. Like others have said, they'll follow them as far as they can. That train bridge right at the public launch in Snohomish creates a sort of bottleneck, the first one they encounter heading upstream, so it doesn't surprise me that fish may slow down there for a minute, and that seals would dial that in.

[Rob]

Seals or Sea Lions?

[Bareback]

They are not just targeting adults. Spring is the juvenile out migration, easy pickings. The survival rate for smolt migration through the sound and straight is brutal...... but at least we have an abundant population of cute, cudly, fur bags.  Cull the pinnipeds!

[7mmfan]

That is very true barebuck, and something a lot of people don't know. Seals eat the living you know what out of smolt.

[nanum]

I think that this the first year for out migrating broodstock steelhead also.

[Stein]

That is very true barebuck, and something a lot of people don't know. Seals eat the living you know what out of smolt.

35-50 pounds per day per adult seal. 

Not many people know it's legal to shoot non-ESA slobs with paintballs to save your fishing gear.

Private citizens may deter non-ESA-listed seals and sea lions that are exhibiting problem behavior resulting in, or that could result in, damage to private property, fishing gear or catch, or are endangering personal safety.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/marine-mammal-protection/deterring-nuisance-pinnipeds

[nanum]

Time to buy a painball gun

[Skyvalhunter]

is that like a shot gun with a silencer?