Fisherman arrested for stabbing bait-stealing sea lion

[The_Professor]

Fisherman arrested in stabbing of bait-stealing sea lion

Story Highlights
Fisherman stabbed sea lion after it stole bait off his fishing pole, police say
Six-foot female sea lion was stabbed in heart, had to be euthanized
Witnesses called police; fisherman arrested, held on $20,000 bond

He's expected to be charged next week with felony animal cruelty
NEWPORT BEACH, California (AP) -- A fisherman accused of stabbing a sea lion with a steak knife after the animal stole his bait has been arrested.

The sea lion, a six-foot female weighing about 150 pounds, was stabbed in the heart and was euthanized, said Dean Gomersall, animal care supervisor at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

"It's a horrible thing," Gomersall said. "My crew is extremely upset, and we're just glad the person was caught."

Hai Nguyen, 24, was fishing off a Newport pier about 12:30 p.m. Friday when the sea lion snatched the bait from his fishing pole.

"It was close enough so he could just reach out and stab it in the water," said Sgt. Evan Sailor, a police spokesman. "A number of people witnessed it and called police."

Nguyen was arrested without incident at the pier and held at Newport Beach Jail on $20,000 bail. He was expected to be arraigned next week on a charge of felony cruelty to animals, authorities said.

The case also was being investigated by the U.S. attorney's office for possible federal charges under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Nguyen could face a $25,000 fine and up to a year in prison if convicted on the animal cruelty charge. A conviction on federal charges of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act could add $12,000 in civil penalties, criminal fines of up to $20,000 and additional jail time, authorities said.


www.cnn.com

[Christians4LessGvt]

are you implying we need to enact new federal knife laws?

[Lanya]

CU4LG,
Are you talking to yourself again?

[The_Professor]

lol...yep, he is,, and actually answering himself!   

I dunno, should there be such legislation or have we gone too far in protecting wildlife that we, as humans, overreact when sometihng like this occurs or it is entirely justified and about time, too!

[Lanya]

The animal "stole bait" off the man's fishing pole, so he stabs her in the heart?  What is that?  Is that the action of someone at the top of the mental gene pool?  Jeez louise. 

[BT]

Are sea lions a protected species?

[fatman]

The animal "stole bait" off the man's fishing pole, so he stabs her in the heart?  What is that?  Is that the action of someone at the top of the mental gene pool?  Jeez louise.

No offense lanya, but those of us on the left coast that fish the waters that sea lions inhabit (the ocean, but my experience deals a lot more with the Columbia River) would realize that sea lions are a major hassle.  They eat fish at the fish ladders and shipping locks, and will take a hooked fish right off of a fishermans line.  They are talking about using lethal measures this year on the Columbia, because firecrackers and rubber bullets haven't done the job.

I'm not saying that this guy was right, only that I can understand it.

[hnumpah]

The animal "stole bait" off the man's fishing pole, so he stabs her in the heart?  What is that?  Is that the action of someone at the top of the mental gene pool?  Jeez louise.

Perhaps,  just perhaps, he was fishing to feed his family, and that was his last piece of bait. Continuing along that line, perhaps he meant to eat the sea lion that stole the bait he needed to catch the fish to feed his family.

[Lanya]

Oh you guys...I give.  OK?  I didn't think about it like that.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Perhaps,  just perhaps, he was fishing to feed his family, and that was his last piece of bait. Continuing along that line, perhaps he meant to eat the sea lion that stole the bait he needed to catch the fish to feed his family

I once read (in Veinte a?os en las Orcadas del Sur) that sea lions taste awful. Even Eskimos eat only the blubber, then only when the narwhals are scarce.

This amazing book also contains what seems to be one of the best recipes for penguin.

[fatman]

Are sea lions a protected species?

They are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.



Link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Mammal_Protection_Act

[BT]

I notice Alaskans Eskimos are exempt from the act. Judging from this photo from San Fran Pier 39 they don't look endangered.

[fatman]

Judging from this photo from San Fran Pier 39 they don't look endangered.

If you think that pic is bad, you should see the Ballard Locks in Seattle when the steelhead come through.  As to being endangered, I don't think they are at all, but try convincing some of the animal people of that.  They are already having a fit over the request of Oregon and Washington's Dept of Fish & Wildlife to the overseer of the MMPA to use lethal measures.  The ironic thing is that they're the first ones to gripe about the decline of the salmon, but they only want the measures that they see fit.

[kimba1]

pier 39 is at odds about sea lions

they are a serious pest but also a very large source of tourist income
people travel from all over to see them.

they really are a smelly disgusting creature,but people love seeing them and are willing to pay more than $5 a fish to feed them.
but if they grow anymore they might crowd out the harbor .
so right now this issue is up in the air for a solution.
also they`re very dangerous
quite afew folks get bit
they don`t mess around