Congress authorizes killing seals to save salmon—with a 5-year sunset.
H.R. 9621 — Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act of 2026 · Filed by Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 9, 2026 · Hearing held
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What it does
This bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow Washington State and federally recognized tribes with treaty fishing rights to kill harbor seals, California sea lions, and Steller sea lions in Washington's rivers and coastal waters (but not the Columbia River itself) to protect endangered and threatened salmon species. The bill creates a permit system capping lethal takings at 10% of the annual population removal level, establishes a technology program to develop non-lethal pinniped exclusion methods, and requires annual reporting to Congress on pinniped populations and salmon recovery progress.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to create a permit-based lethal-take regime for pinnipeds in Washington waters to protect endangered salmon. It is a targeted conservation measure, not a blanket deregulation, and includes reporting and sunset provisions.
What the text implies
- The bill excludes the Columbia River mainstem from the lethal-take authority but applies to tributaries, creating a geographic patchwork that may fragment pinniped populations and complicate enforcement.
- The 10% annual take cap is tied to 'potential biological removal level,' a metric that may be revised upward if pinniped populations are deemed healthy, potentially enabling significant expansion of lethal takings without new legislation.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Washington State fisheries agencies (administrative capacity, funding for permit management); Tribal governments with treaty fishing rights (authority and resources for pinniped management); Contractors developing pinniped exclusion technology (if the Accelerator program is funded)