Political Quotes

“I sincerely thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2083. You have heard a good number of arguments in favor of this bill today: the urgent threat posed by sea lions to endangered salmon and steelhead; the fundamental importance of salmon to the economy and culture of the Pacific Northwest and, especially, the native peoples who have depended on these stocks since time immemorial. But I want to talk about another reason, which was alluded to earlier, and that is the issue of the orca. June happens to be National Orca Month in Washington State. The southern resident orcas are an iconic species for us. They reside principally in the Puget Sound, and they are dying. The very fish that are taken by these sea lions migrate there and are an important part of their food stock. There are 75 resident orcas left, less than when they were put on the endangered species list, fewer orcas today than when they were listed. A large part of it is that they don't have enough Chinook salmon to eat, and the reason for that is because the sea lions are eating them first. I want to remind the Chamber these sea lions are not even indigenous to the Columbia River. They have only been here a little more than three decades. They came here and found lunch and, along with it, put our orca at risk. Our State resource managers estimate sea lions consume about 20 percent of the Columbia's spring Chinook run--20 percent, one in five.…”