Fisherman Accused of Shooting Sea Lion

A N C H O R A G E, Alaska, Jan. 17 -- A commercial fisherman is on trial for allegedly shooting and killing endangered Steller sea lions because they were competing for the same fish he was trying to catch.

Stanley Roy Pedersen faces up to seven years in prison ifconvicted of shooting the federally protected sea lions, whosepopulation off Alaska has plummeted by 90 percent in the last 40years to about 16,000.

A deckhand testified that over a one-month period in 1999 he sawPedersen shoot at sea lions nine or 10 times when the animals gottoo close to their boat or salmon nets.

“When sea lions showed up, he typically grabbed that shotgunand began shooting,” Bobby Croom said Tuesday, the first day ofthe trial. Croom also said he believed Pedersen killed a sea lionwith his 12-gauge shotgun.

Pedersen is charged with shooting at Steller sea lions,protected under the Endangered Species Act, and two counts ofillegally possessing a firearm because he is a convicted felon.

Animals With Hearty Appetites

The massive creatures have a voracious appetite and are a sourceof irritation for fishermen whose livelihoods can depend oncatching the same fish that sea lions eat.

Pedersen’s lawyer said the case is a fabrication, describing theprosecution’s witnesses as a “pack of liars” who are trying toget back at him because they think he owes them money.

“There is no tangible evidence. There is no gun, no bullets...there have been no dead sea lions found,” Robin L. Koutchak said.

Bottini told the jury that in order to find Pedersen guilty theydo not need to find that he killed sea lions. Under the law, it isillegal for any person to shoot at or in any way harass them,Bottini said.