Expert says sea lions devastate Columbia River fish stock

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - A long-time Fraser River fishing guide says sea lions are taking over Stuart Island.

Ken Christian says, "Sea lions tend to congregate in places where the fish have to pass through in very narrow areas."

He tells us the sea lions devastate the stock. "Down on the Columbia River... the female sturgeon are now being killed down below the Bonneville Dam by sea lions, and this has never happened in the past, they say."

But Christian doesn't see them threatening the Fraser River as of yet. "If the trend continues with what we are seeing on the Columbia River, we might have the same problems up here. Sea lion and seal populations here in B.C. are just exploding."