; 108 Stat. 532) to address predatory sea lion behavior that negatively impacts threatened or endangered salmon runs is protracted and has not been successful. (15) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has observed that— (A) management efforts to reduce pinniped predation of endangered and threatened salmon and steelhead in the area around the Bonneville Dam has been insufficient to reduce the severity of the threat; and (B) efforts need to focus more on the lower Columbia River and the area around Willamette Falls. (16) In the interest of protecting threatened and endangered salmonids in the Columbia River, a temporary expedited procedure is urgently needed to allow removal of the minimum number of California sea lions as is necessary to protect the passage of the threatened and endangered salmonids in the Columbia River and its tributaries. 3. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the prevention of predation by sea lions on salmonids in the Columbia River, the recovery of salmonid species listed as threatened species or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the prevention of future listings of fish species in the Columbia River under that Act are vital priorities; and (2) the Federal Government should continue to fund lethal and nonlethal removal measures to prevent such predation. 4. Taking of Sea Lions on the Columbia River and its Tributaries to Protect Endangered Species and Threatened Species of Salmon and Other Nonlisted Fish Species Section 120(f) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 ( 16 U.S.C. 1389(f) ) is amended to read as follows: (f) Temporary marine mammal removal authority on the Columbia River and its tributaries (1) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Eligible entity The term eligible entity means— (i) the State of Washington; (ii) the State of Oregon; (iii) the State of Idaho; (iv) the Nez Perce Tribe; (v) the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation