LAHAINA, Maui (23 Dec 2006) -- A private citizen from Orcas Island, who would like to remain anonymous, is offering a $5,000 reward to anybody who has information that will lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person who recently shot a Steller sea lion. The sea lion, listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, was found dead off Orcas Island in late November. The carcass was collected by representatives of the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network and postmortem examination of the carcass revealed it had been shot in the head and killed. Amy Traxler, coordinator of the Stranding Network, says "this is an excellent gesture by a private citizen and it just goes to reinforce my belief that the general public at large won't stand for this type of behavior." Harming or killing a marine mammal is considered a federal offense and the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the case. Any person(s) with information about who shot the sea lion should contact Enforcement's toll-free hotline at (800) 853-1964 or Special Agent Hans Brubaker at (360) 676-9268 for further information or assistance. | 
