2006年NPR美国国家公共电台四月-Large Sea Lion Population Threatens Fishi

（单词翻译）

Renée Montagne: And here on the West Coast, the sea lion population has quadrupled since hunting stopped some 30 years ago. But fishermen are lobbying for a return of those days. Tom Banse explains.

Tom Banse: A clump¹ of California sea lions is soaking up the fleeting² sun on a floating dock in the Port of Gold Beach, Oregon. Their barking sounds almost like taunts⁴ in the fishing offices along the shore. A third generation river guide Sean Carpenter says sea lions have taken to stealing fish right off his customers' lines.

Sean Carpenter: There have been days where maybe a hundred fish were caught, hooked all day, and 25 landed, 75 go to the sea lions.

Tom Banse: Guides like Carpenter have gotten nasty emails and letters from clients who vow⁵ never to return. Maybe you would feel the same way if you paid $125 per person for a fruitless half-day fishing trip.

Sean Carpenter: People get very angry, and there's not a lot I can do. I mean, other than the paint ball, the banging around, trying to scare them, none of that works any more.

Tom Banse: So, Gold Beach is set to become the first West Coast community to hire its own civilian⁶ sea lion warden⁷, they'll patrol the bay this summer, going to the limit of what's legal to drive off the flippered fish fiends. Squirting them, making noise is ok, hurting them is not. Volunteers also plan to nail plywood barricades⁸ around favored sea lion haul outs. But Sean Carpenter figures the only long-term solution is resumed hunting.

Sean Carpenter: They are very ugly when they've got your fish in their mouth. But they are a beautiful animal and I don't know how people are going to react to hunting them. But that's what really needs to be done.

Tom Banse: Open season on California sea lions isn't as far-fetched as it would have been a few yeas ago. The animals have been highly protected since the early 1970's, at that time hunting had depressed⁹ their numbers to 1/4 or 1/5 of what we see today. Scientists have documented a tremendous recovery---the sea lion population seems to have rebounded¹⁰ all the way to its natural peak. That according to marine¹¹ mammal specialist Brent Norberg of the Federal Fishery Service:

Brent Norberg: Now the population growth rate appears to be slowing or leveling off, which would give us an indication that it's reaching its balance point.

Tom Banse: Once these findings are published, states can apply to quote, "manage their sea lions". Columbia River Indian tribes are all for it, they want more aggressive control of sea lions that feast on week salmon¹² runs and precious sturgeon. Oregon and Washington State have started a new offensive. This is human versus¹³ animal combat on the Columbia River. State Wild Life officers are firing salvos of fire cracker¹⁴ shells, rubber bullets and underwater charges to drive off a herd¹⁵ of about 100 sea lions. They're feasting below the first dam. The states bordering the big Western River are applying for federal permission to permanently¹⁶ remove the most voracious¹⁷ offenders¹⁸. Removal could entail¹⁹ capture and relocation or killing²⁰, starting next year. But killing even a few of the charismatic sea lions is bound to stir passions in the animal rights community.

Tom Banse: For NPR news, I'm Tom Banse.

Note------------
soak up (the sun/rays/sunshine etc): to sit outside for a long time enjoying the sun;吸收
floating dock: 浮动船坞
taunt³: a remark or joke intended to make someone angry or upset;辱骂, 嘲弄
haul out: a 'haul-out' is a place on land where sea lions congregate²¹. It's usually a massive rock formation.(From Laowai2006)
far-fetched: extremely unlikely to be true or to happen;牵强的, 不自然的
level off: to stop rising or falling and become steady;平整, 变平, 稳定
sturgeon: a large fish, from which caviar is obtained, or the meat of this fish;鲟鱼
voracious: having an extremely strong desire to do or have a lot of something;狼吞虎咽的, 贪婪的
charismatic: having charisma;神赐能力的, 超凡魅力的