Northwest Fishing Reports

Over on another board it was brought to my attention that it is LEGAL to act upon nuisance marine mammals in order to protect your property, fishing gear, and fish and I thought I would post the link over here. I recently bought a wrist rocket which I carry aboard my vessel with steel shot in the event we have a seal problem while fighting fish, another LEGAL choice would be to carry a paintball gun. After seeing harbor seals all the way up into the lower Snoqualmie and at the Confluence Hole on the Snohomish this year I am happy to know that a little love from the wrist rocket is not illegal and may well be effective getting those pesky seals to take a few steps back when they get "a little to comfortable".

The link to the article can be found HERE!

And here is the piece of interest for us fisherman:

Potential methods for use by fishers to deter Pacific harbor seals and California seal lions from damaging gear or catch (anglers must be actively fishing with gear deployed).

Visual Repellents/Noise Makers:
• boat hazing, circling
• pounding on hull
• pyrotechnics (e.g., bird screamers, bangers, underwater firecrackers, cracker shells) ]
• starter pistols
• horns, bells, whistles

Physical Contact:
• slingshots
• non-toxic and water soluble paint ball guns
• non-lethal ammunition (e.g., rubber bullets, sabot rounds, game stingers)

Methods to Avoid – The following methods and techniques have an increased likelihood of causing injury or death and should be avoided.

• No Firearms with “live” (lethal) ammunition
• No Devices with Injurious Projectiles (e.g., archery gear, crossbows, spear guns, bangsticks)
• No Sharp/Pointed Objects (e.g., harpoons, spears, gaffs, nail studded bats/poles/clubs)
• No Entangling Devices (e.g., loose webbing, snares, concertina wire)
• No Aggressive Tactile Methods (e.g., striking animals with bats, hammers etc., impact with
vehicles or boats )
• No Tainted Baits or Poisons

Matt, I've had good success with both a slingshot (once I practiced and my aim improved), and a paintball gun. Oh, freeze the paintballs before hand. It really improves the results

FYI - Steel, lead or any metal pellets/ball bearings are not legal, nor are glass marbles. While you are at the river or beach, collect round rocks for your wrist rocket and keep a can of them on board.

Actually, contrary to popular belief, paintballs are a gelatin based product and they do not freeze in a conventional sense. The shell shrivels and the fill fails to become fully solid. Freezing them does not work. There is a product made called a reball that is a rubber paintball and they are readily available to the consumer.


The things you learn playing semi-pro paintball....... haha

Pepper-Balls...

Crossbow

Now now Bodo, that's clearly listed in the "don't do" section. haha

When I was fishing commercial in AK when I was 16 my captain shot a sea lion with a .22 pistol. Didn't think much of it at the time, but DAMN!

A good air soft gun should do the trick too..

I used to carry a little bucket in my boat with fist sized rocks to chuck at 'em. It made me feel better and I actually hit one once. Quit doing that, my arm is not what is used to be!

Just a thought, maybe one of you already have an answer. It's hard for fish and game to get approval to kill these sea lions that travel so far up rivers and threaten some fish stocks. It seams easier for the native tribes to "take some" sealions as part of their rightful claim to resources. So, has anyone approached the tribes to convey the message that we would LOVE to see them "claim" a few sealions in certain locations?

the tribes probly would if there was a market for them (i'd be 1st in line for a nice seal skin coat!), and the tree huggers didnt get their panties all wadded up over seals getting killed. remember what happened with the whale hunts, that didnt last long.

There are more seals than there are whales. AND seal skin coats would be MUCH softer than whale skin coats. I would think anyway. :bounce:

Not to mention the blubber from them could solve our oil crisis! [lol]

But in reality, they oils from their blubber have many practical uses.

spokey9 wrote:the tribes probly would if there was a market for them (i'd be 1st in line for a nice seal skin coat!), and the tree huggers didnt get their panties all wadded up over seals getting killed. remember what happened with the whale hunts, that didnt last long.

I recall how the press bashed them and concoctions of stories of waste of the meat ect. I sailed on a tug boat with the skipper of one of the whale hunts. He cleared up the nonsense stories to my satisfaction on that issue. I was a skeptic, his explanation turned my opinion 180 degrees on that issue. ;)

Matt wrote:Not to mention the blubber from them could solve our oil crisis! [lol]

But in reality, they oils from their blubber have many practical uses.

I'm not sure what sort of spin the tribes would need to employ to satisfy the media and tree huggers, but certainly an endorcement by the state game wouldn't hurt and it should be less costly...... one would think.

haha we carry 3 on the boat i go out in the most. we make a game of how close they get to the boat when we are fighting a fish then we let them have it

Matt wrote:Now now Bodo, that's clearly listed in the "don't do" section. haha

When I was fishing commercial in AK when I was 16 my captain shot a sea lion with a .22 pistol. Didn't think much of it at the time, but DAMN!

.223 with scope. Shot from inside the cabin makes no noise....... I did my share of boat living in the great north.

haha naa a 22-250 lol sights set for 300+

curado wrote:haha naa a 22-250 lol sights set for 300+

No need when the net stretched straight out is only 100yrds. They're always real close.