NOAA Urges Delta River Salmon Anglers To Not Harm Sea Lions, Report Harmful Encounters

The following is courtesy of NOAA Fisheries Alaska:

Multiple dead endangered Steller sea lions were found in the Copper River Delta in the past two months during aerial surveys completed by NOAA Fisheries’ Protected Resources Division, in collaboration with the United States Coast Guard. Like us, these animals were just trying to eat to survive but instead, were killed in their prime. Some of these dead Steller sea lions were young (see photo above) and likely learning to feed on their own for the first time. Please help us stop this illegal killing.

Please report violations when you see them. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to a civil penalty or criminal conviction in the killing of endangered Steller sea lions in the Copper River Delta near Cordova, Alaska in 2023. Anyone with information about the illegal killing of endangered Steller sea lions and protected harbor seals in the Copper River Delta should contact the investigating agent directly at (907) 250-5188 or through NOAA’s Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964. To report dead, injured, or stranded marine mammals, call the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network at (877) 925-7773. When reporting a stranded marine mammal, please include the following information: 

• Date

• Location of stranding (including latitude and longitude)

• Number of animals

• Condition of the animal (alive or dead)

• Species (if known) 

Photos or videos from a safe and legal distance can also provide valuable information to stranding network responders. Only trained and permitted responders should approach or pick up a stranded marine mammal.

The western population of Steller sea lions is protected under the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits harassing, harming, or killing listed species. Killing marine mammals is also a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Shooting seals and sea lions is against the law unless you are an Alaska Native subsistence harvesting for food or handicraft. The population of these endangered Steller sea lions is in decline. Protect seals and sea lions and the good name of Alaska’s commercial fisheries and don’t illegally shoot seals and sea lions.

Illegal killing of a seal or sea lion may result in:

• Spending up to a year in jail
• Forfeiture of your vessel
• Paying criminal fines and civil penalties
• Harming your fishery’s good name

More Information

• Marine Life in Distress: What You Can Do