PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have offered a reward of up to $20,000 for any information on the boater that was captured on video veering through sea lions on the Columbia River near Hayden Island earlier this month.
On April 3, Michael Brady from Portland captured the gut-wrenching video of a boat with fishing gear, weaving back and forth, appearing to try to intentionally hit dozens of sea lions swimming around the Columbia River.
"Whoever was driving it, they went right through the pack of the first one and it was kind of [like he] was trying to hit every pack and I just looked around me and everybody was devastated," said Brady.
NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement says it will pay for information leading to a civil penalty or criminal conviction of the boater driving through resting California sea lions.
Sea lions are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act— making it illegal to harass, hunt or kill any marine mammals.
According to the NOAA, a fisherman can scare off seals and sea lions from damaging gear or impacting them while actively fishing. They can do it by using horns, bells and whistles or circling the mammals — without physically harming them.
On April 4, KGW was out getting video in that same spot Brady captured his video, and witnessed another boat targeting groups of sea lions bobbing in the water. They scrambled away when it was right on top of them.
The boat is described as a 19- to 20-foot aluminum Hewescraft Pro-V Sea Runner with a blue stripe. It has a soft top with an aluminum Barewest Fish & Wake Tower and is powered by a Yamaha outboard motor, officials said.
Anyone with information on the identity of the driver of the boat or about the incident is asked to call the Investigating Agent at 360-310-0259 or the 24/7 hotline at 800-853-1964.
