MARINE MAMMALS -- The joke, er, the effort to scare the burgeoning legions of sea lions away from Astoria docks and facilities by employing a fake orca has bombed.

• See yesterday's story

But the story goes beyond the discovery that the fake orca could not swim.

The story TODAY is that the orca-like boat has become a choice haul out for sea lions as it's moored belly-up at the docks it was supposed to protect.

Anyone who has tried to keep deer out of their garden with a noise device, sprays or other methods knows that wildlife become wise to deterrents that don't hurt.

The cure for sea lions swarming on docks and ambushing endangered salmon is to wean them off the wildly successful marine mammal act protections and start seriously managing them.