08-05-2020, 03:03 PM
The sea otter along the west coast of Canada was hunted until they were no more. They were cute and charming, with a thick, dark coat and that was their undoing.
Once they were gone there was no more fur trade in sea otter pelts. There was also no more kelp beds. Without the sea otters to control them the sea urchins proliferated. They ate the kelp until the great kelp forest were no more. With the decline in the kelp forests, biodiversity declined. The whole west coast ecosystem suffered.
In 1970, 89 sea otters were relocated to the west coast of Vancouver Island. The established themselves and expanded their territory. They ate the sea urchins and the kelp forest came back. With the kelp forest returning, biodiversity returned.
Just like the wolves of Yellowstone National Park, the sea otters have stabilized the ecosystem and it is returning to its natural sustainable state.
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/otters
This is an eco-success story. Bringing back a lost member of an ecosystem has brought back the ecosystem.
Things are still in transition and it will take time for the sea otters to return to their full territory. The humans that are impacted by the change will have to make some adjustments and there will be economic changes. In the end the benefits will outweigh any difficulties.
Biodiversity and the return of the kelp forests are more important that most people realize.
This article is about the US Coast and the kelp is having different problems, but it does explain why the kelp forests are so important.
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-an...rine-algae
The issues of carbon capture and climate change mitigation are more than enough reason to protect the kelp. We need the kelp for our own benefit.
Providing safe habitats for a variety of fish and expanding their numbers is equally important.
Bringing the sea otters back has done all that and more. Sea otters are a keystone creature in the ecosystem and with their return we can hope to restore at least a part of a damaged ecosystem.
Once they were gone there was no more fur trade in sea otter pelts. There was also no more kelp beds. Without the sea otters to control them the sea urchins proliferated. They ate the kelp until the great kelp forest were no more. With the decline in the kelp forests, biodiversity declined. The whole west coast ecosystem suffered.
In 1970, 89 sea otters were relocated to the west coast of Vancouver Island. The established themselves and expanded their territory. They ate the sea urchins and the kelp forest came back. With the kelp forest returning, biodiversity returned.
Just like the wolves of Yellowstone National Park, the sea otters have stabilized the ecosystem and it is returning to its natural sustainable state.
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/otters
This is an eco-success story. Bringing back a lost member of an ecosystem has brought back the ecosystem.
Things are still in transition and it will take time for the sea otters to return to their full territory. The humans that are impacted by the change will have to make some adjustments and there will be economic changes. In the end the benefits will outweigh any difficulties.
Biodiversity and the return of the kelp forests are more important that most people realize.
This article is about the US Coast and the kelp is having different problems, but it does explain why the kelp forests are so important.
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-an...rine-algae
The issues of carbon capture and climate change mitigation are more than enough reason to protect the kelp. We need the kelp for our own benefit.
Providing safe habitats for a variety of fish and expanding their numbers is equally important.
Bringing the sea otters back has done all that and more. Sea otters are a keystone creature in the ecosystem and with their return we can hope to restore at least a part of a damaged ecosystem.
![[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rtQnRVnpHuw/Upv4HXYM20I/AAAAAAAAAqo/K5MmSTvkZdA/w296-h229-p-no/IMG_9091.JPG)
Catherine
