When wily sea lions and determined wildlife officials sparred in Seattle
Excerpted from A YEAR WITH THE SEALS: Unlocking the Secrets of the Sea’s Most Charismatic and Controversial Creatures by Alix Morris. July 2025, Algonquin Books. Published with permission. The construction of dams across the Pacific Northwest, which funnel fish into “pinch points” like the ladder at the Ballard Locks, presented a unique challenge for wildlife managers who were tasked with protecting marine mammals and managing fish stocks. At the Ballard Locks, pinnipeds had discovered an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. How could officials prevent a few opportunistic, and federally protected, marine mammals from wiping out entire populations of fish? What happened next inspired one of the most controversial amendments to marine mammal protections in the U.S., and it all played out in the heart of downtown Seattle. IN MID-APRIL, SHORTLY AFTER arriving in Seattle, I headed south down Interstate 5 to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, where I’d arranged to meet with a man...