In the otters’ absence, prey species such as clams, sea urchins and crabs thrived. Those booms gave rise to lucrative fisheries that sustained small towns and First Nations along the coast for decades.
Why are sea otters important to BC?
The Reintroduction of a Keystone Species
Across much of their range, sea otters are keystone species and play an important role in controlling sea urchin populations, which can otherwise have a devastating impact on kelp forests.
What would happen if there were no more sea otters?
As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. Without sea otters, sea urchins can overpopulate the sea floor and devour the kelp forests that provide cover and food for many other marine animals.
Are there sea otters in British Columbia?
Two species of otters are found in British Columbia (B.C.) waters. While both are found in marine waters, Sea Otters carry out all aspects of life in the marine environment, and River Otters are semi-aquatic. Sea Otters were heavily hunted by the fur trade and considered extirpated from Canada by the early 1900s.
How sea otters led a green revolution on the BC coast?
The disappearance of these voracious and abundant predators led to a cascade of changes on the coast: long-lived geoduck clams flourished, while sea urchins, unchecked by predation, destroyed undersea kelp forests. The offspring of the 89 Alaskan sea otters transplanted to B.C. waters today number more than 8,100.
How many sea otters are in British Columbia?
Now, the original Alaskan otters released into British Columbia waters have grown from a population of 89 to more than 7,000.
Why are otters so important?
Otters are an essential keystone species.
Along the Pacific coast, sea otters help control the sea urchin population. Fewer sea urchins in turn help prevent kelp forests from being overgrazed.
Why are sea otters so important to their environment?
In fact, they are now recognised as being a keystone species, whose position in food chains is crucial in maintaining the ecological health of an area. They not only ensure the health of kelp forests but affect many other local species, as Estes’s investigations have since revealed.
Why are sea otters important to humans?
Now, scientists are studying how these marine may also be climate superheroes. Sea otters help ecosystems capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it as biomass and deep-sea detritus, preventing it from being converted back to carbon dioxide and contributing to climate change.
What caused the otter population to decline?
Pollution is only the most recent threat to sea otters posed by humans. They were hunted to near-extinction by the early 20th century before an international ban on hunting, conservation efforts, and reintroduction programs allowed sea otters to rebound.
Why are sea otters endangered in Canada?
It is thought that oil spills pose the greatest threat due to the proximity of sea otters to major tanker routes and their susceptibility to hypothermia if their fur comes into contact with oil. Worldwide, sea otters are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Why are Canadian sea otters endangered?
Oil spills remain the most significant threat because of the population’s distribution and the species’ inherent vulnerability to oil. The need to protect sea otters and their habitat was identified.
Where is the sea otter population declining?
southwest Alaska
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) populations in southwest Alaska declined substantially between about 1990 and the most recent set of surveys in 2015.
How do sea otters have an impact on the carbon cycle?
By preying on kelp-grazing sea urchins, otters allow underwater kelp forests to do more of what forests do everywhere: suck up heat-trapping carbon dioxide via photosynthesis.
How do sea otters affect the economy?
Sea otters increase biodiversity and improve the health of coastal ecosystems. Their presence in the area has cascading effects that can increase the economic revenue gained from these ecosystems through increases to finfish yields, improved carbon sequestration, and the promotion of tourism.
What caused the near extinction of sea otters?
The Fur Trade
Sea otters were hunted extensively for their luxurious pelts during the 18th and 19th centuries, significantly reducing the original population whose numbers were estimated by historians to have been around 16,000 animals.
When did sea otters become endangered in Canada?
COSEWIC Status History: Designated Endangered in April 1978. Status re-examined and confirmed Endangered in April 1986. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in April 1996 and in May 2000. Status re-examined and designated Special Concern in April 2007.
How many sea otters are left in 2022?
Population. The current southern sea otter population averages around 3,000 individuals.
Are otters endangered in Canada?
Globally, the northern sea otter is assessed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In Canada, it is now assessed as a species of special concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
What impact do otters have on the environment?
Otters also have a pivotal role in river ecosystems. They are predators, meaning they help control the populations of food species they prey upon. This affects the ecosystem as a whole, and as a result, their presence is a signal that the ecosystem is healthy.
What are 3 interesting facts about sea otters?
September 19, 2022
- A sea otter can live its whole life without leaving the ocean.
- Sea otters can eat 25 per cent of their body weight in food each day.
- To catch their prey, which mainly all reside on the sea floor, sea otters have adapted to be able to hold their breath for over five minutes at a time!