This project will be collaborative with the States of Oregon and Washington, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  

Objective 1.  Conduct boat-based non-lethal sea lion hazing generally between March 1 and May 31, 2015.
Objective 2.  Enumerate sea lion abundance and estimate predation throughout the lower Columbia River.
Objective 3. Investigate techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of hazing.


Objective 1.  Conduct boat-based non-lethal sea lion hazing generally between March 1 and May 31, 2015.
The scope of the project includes a 3 person, boat-based, sea lion hazing crew operating 2-3 days a week for approximately 3 months near Bonneville Dam.  This crew will conduct non-lethal sea lion hazing, assist with trapping (not conduct the actual trapping), conduct pinniped counts for abundance estimates, and other field duties.  

Objective 2.  Enumerate sea lion abundance and estimate predation throughout the lower Columbia River.
We will implement a project to estimate sea lion predation outside of the ACOE observation area.  The ACOE observation project is limited to the Bonneville Dam tailrace area that is viewable from the deck of the Dam.  We plan to use tandem boat surveys to estimate sea lion abundance throughout the lower Columbia River.  We plan to divide the river into multiple reaches and survey those reaches using boats at different frequencies.  The first reach extends from Tanner Creek to the I-205 Bridge, the second reach is from the I-205 Bridge to the Cowlitz River, and the third reach is from the Cowlitz River to the mouth of the Columbia River.  The boat-based hazing crew will conduct surveys counting sea lions two to three days a week.  

Objective 3. Investigate techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of hazing.
We plan to conduct pilot studies using various tags on sea lions to record behavior (predation/feeding verse other activity).  We then plan to correlate sea lion behavior with observed predation from ACOE observers and hazing events.  During this pilot study, we want to verify behavior signatures recorded by tags with known predation events and implement a system to retrieve the data from the tagged animal.

METHODS:
Boat hazing activities will occur during daylight hours between the Bonneville Dam face to 6 miles downstream.  The hazing boat will be crewed by three people (one boat captain, one data collector and one person hazing), and will coordinate activities with the state hazing boat (WDFW) and USDA hazing crews on Bonneville Dam.  Hazing will be boat-based only and include acoustic and tactile deterrents (seal bombs, cracker shells, rubber buckshot, and vessel chase) in an attempt to deter pinnipeds.  

Data on all sea lion encounters will be recorded following protocols established by the states which include the time and location of the initial encounter, species, direction of movement, fish kill information, numbers and types of deterrents used, and time, location and direction at the end of the encounter.  All data collected will be sent to ODFW/WDFW to be included in the overall hazing and monitoring evaluation.  In-season activities are summarized on a weekly basis by the Corps.  Included in those summaries are effects from boat-based hazing.  A collaborative annual report is also produced which details the project.  All activities funded by BPA will be included in this collaborative report.  

To evaluate hazing we plan to deploy new technology tags on sea lions.  These technologies included PIT tag detection arrays and accelerometers incorporated into a tag attached to a sea lion.  PIT tag detection tags have been successfully used on harbor seals in Canada and we may test these tags on California sea lions.  The Canadian studies observed particular movement signatures associated with feeding and we hope to verify similar results on California sea lions.  If the new tag technology is success, we will have a method to verify feeding activity which, we could then cross reference with hazing and / or shore observations.

Project participants receive safety briefings from CRITFC, ACOE, ODFW, and WDFW personnel.  Briefings cover boat operations and clearance for activities in the Boat Restricted Zone (BRZ) below the dam, overhead hazards, lockout procedures, hazardous water conditions, personal safety equipment (PFDs, ear and eye protection), communications, and project planning details.  A safety protocol for pyrotechnic deployment from the boats will be discussed.  Boat teams receive briefings on vessel safety equipment and rescue procedures at the time of launch.  While inside the Boat Restricted Zone (BRZ), hazing boats maintain VHF-radio contact with the Bonneville Dam Vessel Control officer for status and vessel traffic updates.


OUTCOME/OBJECTIVES:
1. Hazing activities will attempt to deter sea lion presence near Bonneville Dam and its fishways in an attempt to reduce predation on ESA listed spring Chinook and steelhead.  While conducting these hazing activities, data will be collected and reported on sea lion:  1) abundance and distribution, 2) predation attempts and rates; and, 3) effectiveness of deterrent actions.

2. Data collected will be added to the existing state, ACOE, and NOAA databases concerning sea lion presence away from the ocean, predation on ESA and non-ESA listed fish species, and the effectiveness of hazing on deterring sea lion presence.  Data collection and reporting will be consistent with and included in a field report similar to previous years (Wright et al. 2007).

3. Estimates of sea lion abundance in different river reaches.  Starting from upstream and moving to downstream reaches: the ACOE will enumerate sea lions within the observable distance in the Bonneville Dam tailrace; between Tanner Creek to the I-205 Bridge (approximately 25 miles) and between the I-205 Bridge and the Cowlitz River CRITFC will conduct weekly boat surveys to estimate sea lion abundance; and, from the Cowlitz River to the mouth of the Columbia monthly tandem boat surveys will be conducted to estimate sea lion abundance.

4. Evaluation of methods to investigate hazing effectiveness.