Sea lion killings rising in Mexico

Despite federal regulations protecting the species, the killing of sea lions in Todos Santos Bay, 25 km. south of Ensenada, has been a long-term phenomena.

Because the animals like to eat the same fish that have attracted fishermen and hatchery owners to the area, the sea lions have made many human enemies who have taken out their frustrations by means of violence.

But when 26 sea lions were found dead from gunshot wounds or blows to the head during one 15-day period in May, authorities took notice.

According to Ricardo Castellanos Percevault of the federal environmental agency, eight sea lions were found dead from gunshots or blows in 2003. That total rose to 15 in 2004, and now, just in the first half of the current year, 28 have been found killed by man.

This rise in killings represents a "warning light," says Castellanos Percevault, who notes that because the animals are official protected by law, it is a federal crime to kill one.

A NUISANCE
"Sea lions are a bit of a nuisance, and many fishermen complain about them," he said. "Regardless, we are not going to permit, under any circumstance, the killing of the animals.

Despite the fact that there have yet to be any arrests in the killings, Castellanos Percevault said that no more murdered sea lions have turned up since officials launched a stricter vigilance effort in early June.

Federal officials investigating the sea lion killings say they are focusing their efforts on several culprits. Among them are the sardine fishing ships that frequent the waters near the sea lion community, local tuna hatcheries, and smallscale fishermen who compete with the animals for their catch.

One local fisherman, Juan Carlos, said that the animals damage fishing nets and eat the bait he uses to fish for sardines.

"Sometimes we'll cast out with our poles and feel the pull of something heavy," he says. "We think we've caught something really large, but it will turn out that it was a sea lion that was eating the bait and that got stuck momentarily on the hook."

SPECIALIZED HABITAT
Osvaldo Santillán, a biologist and fisheries inspector, estimates that there are 20,000 sea lions in the Gulf of California. Most live in colonies at the Islas Coronado, Todos Santoa Bay and Punta Banda, he says.

"Many people ask why, if there are 1,600 kilometers of coastline in this part of the country, there are so few sea lions," he says. "The answer is that this species will not reproduce just anywhere, and we have here only three colonies considered 'reproductive' colonies."

Santillán says that the tense relationship between the sea lions and the local fishermen and hatchery owners puts the mammals in a precarious position.

"The fishermen hate the sea lions because they destroy their nets, they eat the fish and their bait," he says. "The tuna hatcheries hate them because they eat the fattened tuna that they sell to Japan for between US1,500 and 3,000. And that can total up to millions of dollars in losses."

Source: www2.eluniversal.com.mx