The Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force (Task Force) for Bonneville Dam was established by NOAA Fisheries under MMPA Section 120 in 2007. It is charged with advising NOAA Fisheries on interactions between sea lions and salmon at Bonneville Dam. The Task Force is composed of NOAA Fisheries staff, independent scientists, representatives from affected conservation and fishing communities, tribes, states, and others. The Task Force's recommendations inform our determination to approve or deny the states' application. The Task Force assignment was to recommend whether to approve the request by Oregon, Washington, and Idaho for authority to lethally remove California sea lions that feed on ESA-listed salmon in the lower Columbia River.
2007 Task Force Publications
2010 Task Force Publications
2011 Task Force Publications
2016 Task Force Publications
2017 Task Force Publications
2022 Task Force Publications
More Information
MMPA Section 120 Pinniped Removal Program: Columbia River and Willamette River
The Fivemile-Bell habitat restoration project in the Siuslaw watershed in Oregon. Credit: Siuslaw Watershed Council.
Southern Resident killer whales encountered during NOAA's PODs (Pacific Orcinus Distribution Survey) in October 2021 near the west end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Tidal wetlands in the Nisqually River Basin, where restored habitat fosters growth of juvenile salmon and steelhead on their way to the ocean.