Sponsors (2)
Expands federal pinniped lethal-take permitting in the Columbia River basin and Washington waters, adds a pinniped exclusion technology accelerator, sets permit caps, reporting, and a 10-year recovery study.
Official title: To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow for the taking of pinnipeds on the Columbia River, its tributaries, and the waters of the State of Washington to protect species of salmon listed as endangered species or threatened species and other nonlisted species of fish, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 9, 2026 by Michael Baumgartner · Last progress July 9, 2026
Expands and clarifies federal authority to issue permits for lethal removal of pinnipeds in the Columbia River basin and other Washington coastal waters to protect listed and at-risk salmonids and other covered fish. It creates a NOAA/NMFS program to fund development of nonlethal exclusion technologies, sets permit limits and reporting rules, and requires a study and a 10-year report on effects to listed salmon and steelhead recovery. The bill revises existing statute language to refer broadly to pinnipeds, removes river-mile limits in the Columbia River, establishes permit terms (including 5-year review/suspension triggers and an aggregate cap tied to potential biological removal), preserves tribal and treaty rights, and authorizes NMFS to issue implementing regulations and annual congressional reports. Funding for the technology accelerator is subject to appropriations.