Op-ed: People, not Seals, Are to Blame for Salmon Decline
By Rachel S. Imper
This piece is in response to an article in the Beacon by Meriden Vitale in the August 25, 2026 edition.
The recent article in the Beacon titled, “Problem Pinnipeds Receive Congressional Hearing” has a number of issues, including the title, given that seals and sea lions (pinnipeds) are not the real problem with the decline of salmon. The bill, H.R.9621 attempts to modify the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to increase the killing of pinnipeds—but they are not the primary reason that salmon numbers are dropping.
Yes, pinniped populations have rebounded since the MMPA was passed in 1972—which is a good thing— but salmon have been declining since the 19th century with the cannery boom, long before the MMPA . Their losses have significantly increased over time, mostly due to habitat loss, dams and migration barriers, pollution, water warming, and ocean overfishing.
The opponents of H.R.9621, in the August 25 article are not simply “skeptics,” as described, but are scientists and conservationists who not only want to save salmon but want to do it in ways that are scientifically based. (It appears the proponents have relied on just a few scientists who have been selected by the commercial and tribal fisheries advocating for the bill with little evidence.)
The bill allows pinnipeds to be shot, but past experience shows when pinnipeds are shot, other seals and sea lions come back to replace them. And if they are shot and not killed, they will suffer long and painful deaths. That is not humane.
It’s also worth considering that in Alberta, Canada and other places, wolves were once thought to be threatening woodland caribou, so killing them proceeded. Then, it was discovered that it was habitat loss that was the culprit, and culling the wolves did not help. So why did they attempt to kill the wolves? Because, as with H.R.9621 and similar bills before Congress, there was no scientific evidence for their actions.
According to testimony submitted in the recent hearing for H.R. 9621, Richard Merrick, Retired Chief Science Advisor of Scientific Program, a NOAA employee for over 30 years and a consultant, who is extremely knowledgeable about pinniped and fishery interactions, “Suggesting the lack of salmon recovery is a result of pinniped predation ignores well-established science on the primary role habitat loss plays in limiting recovery.”
As Merrick also notes less than 10% of juvenile salmonoids survive to adulthood. That’s because at least 66 species eat juvenile fish, pinnipeds being a small proportion. In fact, a 2022 study of seals and sea lions in the Salish Sea found that Pacific hake was 24% of pinniped’s diet, 22% was Pacific herring, while salmon amounted to only 1.6% to 6%.
Hake also are salmon predators, and if pinniped populations decline, hake populations are likely to increase, along with other predators whose diet includes more salmon. In addition, harbor seals and sea lions are a key part of the diet of transient orcas (Biggs whales) in Puget Sound, and if pinniped populations go down, that could create problems for them.
To its credit, the Beacon’s article did mention that recent data shows that over 60 percent of returning Puget Sound adult salmon were intercepted in Alaska and British Columbia—overfishing that has killed many thousands more salmon than previously reported. That surely has made a difference in our salmon decline. What’s more, the warming waters with climate change are also playing a key role in reducing fish and other species in the Pacific.
Although H.R.9621 states that it would limit killing to 10 percent of pinniped populations, how can that possibly be managed? There is nothing in the bill calling for funding to monitor the populations, which could well result in far more deaths of seals and sea lions. There is also no way to monitor which species of seals and sea lions are killed. For example, only California currently monitors California sea lions, but they migrate to Washington waters during part of the year. Plus, while the bill is promoted as one for Washington, the text may well allow the killing of whales on the East Coast or the culling of other marine mammals elsewhere.
Everyone wants to save the salmon, but it matters how it is done. Habitat restoration, dam and blockage removals, and reducing toxins are all proven to make a big difference. Shortening the salmon season or limiting fishing, if coordinated with Alaska and Canadian fisheries may help. We live in a beautiful area with an exceptional ecosystem. We should join together to protect it and not destroy a key part of it.
Rep. Emily Randall has been misguided—and possibly misinformed—in sponsoring this bill. Please contact her today at house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative, or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Tell her you oppose H.R. 9621 and any similar bills to change the MMPA.
