Tag Archives: aerial survey of marine mammals

Study finds 7,500 marine mammals in lower Columbia River

An aerial survey of marine mammals in the lower Columbia River found spring Chinook salmon will have to make it past more than 6,000 hungry harbor seals, 1,500 California sea lions and 100 Steller sea lions. The marine mammals are drawn into the river this time of year to take advantage of a large smelt run. But the animals will switch to spring Chinook by spring. A study last year indicated as much as 40 percent of the spring and summer chinook run that enters the Columbia River disappears. Read the rest here 08:06