The State - News from Feb. 3, 1988

Three California sea lions found in the last week on San Francisco Bay Area beaches were shot to death, a veterinarian said. The three adult males were killed with shotgun blasts, said Dr. Ray Deiter of Sausalito. The shootings, which occurred shortly after the start of the January-March herring fishing season, are similar to the unsolved deaths of 14 of the marine mammals last year, Deiter said. The National Marine Fisheries Service is investigating the eaths; out-of-state herring fishermen are suspected. The Pacific Federation of Fishermen’s Assns. has543257451dollars to a reward fund set up by the California Marine Mammal Center.