We’ve been asked about regional-media reports regarding a sea lion found dead near Harbor Island, found to have been shot multiple times. Here’s the report we received from West Seattle-based Seal Sitters Marine Stranding Network:
Last week a kayaker was paddling in the West Duwamish Waterway. When she spotted a California sea lion carcass on shore, the kayaker alertly photographed it from her boat and called Seal Sitters Hotline Operator Barb.
Using online maps, First Responder David H was able to pinpoint the location, allowing First Responder Melinda S to quickly find the 7-foot-long male sea lion. The responders alerted Seal Sitters’ stranding network partner SR3.
The next day, SR3 staff used portable X-ray equipment at the site and found the sea lion had been shot; a radiograph revealed numerous projectiles in the animal’s head.
Seal Sitters sends data to NOAA of shot, bludgeoned, or entangled animals we find in West Seattle. Please call our hotline at 206-905-SEAL (206-905-7325) to report a dead marine mammal. If you witness or hear gunfire over the water, and can do so safely, call 911 immediately; call Seal Sitters afterward to make a full report.
To learn more, see the full story with the radiograph at Seal Sitters Blog posting: sealsitters.org/blog/shot-sea-lion-examined