Seals

A harbor seal with a fish.

 Ralph Lear

Consider the plight of the salmon that pass along the Washington state coast and through the Salish Sea north of Puget Sound. As they head to and from their spawning grounds, they have to dodge orcas, commercial and sport fishermen and other predators.

Key among those predators are thousands of harbor seals, Steller seal lions and California sea lions. These pinnipeds linger in areas as salmon pass by in what could best be termed a marine buffet line.

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