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Humane Society v. Locke (9th Cir. - Nov. 23, 2010)

By Shaun Martin

For a sense of our societal values, check this one out.

The Columbia River has a number of threatened or endangered fish species, including five salmon and steelhead populations.  We want to preserve these species.  That makes sense.

Lately, the endangered fish species have taken a hit from three basic sources:

(1)  The Bonneville Dam.  It kills between 5 and 15 percent of the fish.
(2)  Commercial and recreational fishing.  That also kills between 5 and 15 percent of the fish.
(3)  Sea lions.  They've lately been eating 2 to 4 percent of the fish.

So what's the solution?  How should we save these endangered species?

Kill the sea lions, of course.

There's obviously a basic value decision at issue here.  You can decrease the number of people who can fish for fun.  Or you can kill some mammals who are eating to survive.  Society's call.

Full post as published by California Appellate Report on November 23, 2010 (boomark / email).