700-pound sea lion found dead in West Seattle, shot at least 12 times, SR3 says
Sep 23, 2026, 4:57 PM | Updated: 4:57 pm
The 700-pound California Sea Lion was reported dead in West Seattle on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Seal Sitters)
(Photo courtesy of Seal Sitters)
A 700-pound California sea lion was found dead near the mouth of the Duwamish River in West Seattle.
The animal was reported Friday in the Harbor Island area.
Casey McLean, executive director and veterinary nurse for marine mammal response and rehabilitation organization SR3, said the sea lion had been shot at least a dozen times.
“This was probably the most amount of projectiles I have seen on one body in my career. It was a lot,” she told KIRO Newsradio. “We did not do a full autopsy or necropsy on this animal because disposal is quite expensive, and moving a body that large is rather difficult.”
SR3 could not determine the exact number of projectiles because its field X-ray could not cover the sea lion’s entire body.
Who shot the sea lion and exactly where the shooting happened remain unknown.
“However, with this many projectiles in the animal, I don’t think he would have made it very far, either floating after he had passed away,” she said. “If, for some reason, he might have lived for a very brief period with those projectiles in him, he wouldn’t have made it very far.”
The sea lion was a healthy adult.
The motive for the shooting is also unknown.
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Sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act
McLean points out that sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
“I think with a lot of the misguided information out there about the impacts that these animals have on fisheries, that we’re seeing a lot of this type of aggression towards these animals,” she said. “It’s frustrating because this isn’t going to solve anything. It’s not going to recover salmon populations. It is not humane to the animals. So I feel that it’s just really frustrating and it is very sad, of course.”
Violating the MMPA could result in up to a year in prison, plus criminal fines and civil penalties.
A San Diego man pleaded guilty last month to a federal charge after he was caught on video kicking and chasing a protected sea lion at a local beach, The Associated Press reported.
He faces up to a year in prison and a fine of $100,000 when he’s sentenced Oct. 20.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
