Defend Seals and Sea Lions from a Dangerous New Bill

Congress is considering a bill that would strip away protections for seals and sea lions under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, opening the door to killing these animals across Washington state's coast, rivers, and bays, including Puget Sound.

Salmon faces real threats, including habitat loss, dams, and climate change. Killing seals and sea lions won't reverse wild salmon declines, and Congress should invest in solutions that will recover salmon, not put other animals at risk for a false solution.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act has provided a safety net for whales, dolphins, seals, and manatees using science-based standards for decades. This bill threatens to unravel that progress.

Tell Congress to reject this bill and uphold the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Petition Letter

Dear {contact_data~salutation},

I care deeply about marine wildlife and the health of our oceans. Therefore, I am asking you to defend the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and oppose H.R. 9621, the Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act of 2026, or any similar legislation in the Senate.

H.R. 9621 would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act to significantly expand the lethal removal of California sea lions and Steller sea lions, now allowed only in parts of the Columbia River Basin, to all of Washington state’s coast, Puget Sound, rivers and bays. It would also allow the killing of harbor seals and it would greatly weaken requirements from the MMPA. This includes legalizing the shooting of free-swimming animals, a method that is currently banned.

While seals and sea lions are natural salmon predators, they are not responsible for the decline of wild salmon populations.

Salmon are highly important for our oceans, rivers, wildlife, and people. But natural predation is not the cause of wild salmon declines, and killing seals and sea lions across Washington state will not result in salmon recovery. Instead, the biggest threats to salmon recovery today are widespread habitat loss, migratory barriers like dams, and the compounding pressures of climate change.

This bill would undermine the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a foundational conservation law that establishes strong, science-based protections for marine mammals including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and manatees. The MMPA has been instrumental in preventing the decline of marine mammal populations and preserving their critical role in ocean and coastal ecosystems.

Congress has already created a process that allows Pacific Northwest states and Tribes to remove sea lions from certain areas in the Columbia River Basin, with federal oversight, monitoring, and consideration of nonlethal alternatives.

H.R. 9621 goes too far. Its sweeping approach would undermine the MMPA’s science-based protections and create a dangerous precedent for the broad killing of marine mammals.

Wild salmon face many threats, including habitat loss, dams, climate change, and direct fishing pressures. Congress should continue to invest in wild salmon recovery efforts including habitat restoration and the removal of dams and other barriers to fish passage.

Please uphold the MMPA and preserve healthy ocean ecosystems for future generations.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}