A protected California sea lion has been shot several times near a popular salmon fishing area on the lower Willamette River.

A federal official said today that the animal was shot around midday yesterday in the Multnomah Channel near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the Sauvie Island area.

Oregon State Police

Police said a fisherman shot the animal after it took a salmon from his fishing line.

Officers found the suspect and the .22 caliber rifle, but did not make an arrest. The sea lion survived and was seen swimming in the area, officers said.

Slideshow: Sea lion survives shooting

Fishermen say the sea lions eat too many threatened spring chinook salmon at the base of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River about 50 miles east of Portland.

The sea lions gather at the dam to eat salmon passing through fish ladders on the way to spawning grounds upriver.

Federal fisheries officials and the Oregon State Police are investigating the shooting.