Congress authorizes killing seals to save salmon—with a 5-year sunset.

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.
• Delegation authority allows eligible entities to transfer permits to other eligible entities, creating a chain of authority that may obscure accountability for individual take decisions.
• The bill requires a 10-year study on salmon recovery but does not mandate that findings trigger permit suspension or modification, weakening the feedback mechanism.
• Non-lethal technology development is discretionary ('subject to availability of appropriations'), meaning the program may be underfunded relative to lethal-take expansion.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill serves a legitimate conservation goal—protecting endangered salmon—and includes safeguards (permit caps, humane-method requirements, sunset review after 5 years, non-lethal technology investment). However, it authorizes lethal killing of marine mammals under a broad permit system with limited transparency into individual take decisions, and the 10% annual cap may prove insufficient if pinniped predation is severe, creating pressure to expand the program.

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)

Named in the bill

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Department of Commerce (Secretary), U.S. Department of the Interior, State of Washington, State of Oregon, State of Idaho, Federally recognized Indian Tribes (western Washington, treaty-reserved fishing rights), Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), Columbia River, Puget Sound — and 2 more

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Jul 9, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 9, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Jul 21, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Sep 15, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Sep 15, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.