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Published on May 30, 2012 by seanlarson06
Sea otters were extirpated from Southeast Alaska in the 18th and 19th century fur trade. After that time, marine invertebrate stocks undoubtedly grew in the absence of sea otter predation; then sea otters were reintroduced into Southeast Alaska in the 1960s. In the ensuing decades, sea otters became well established, with the population expanding at the rate of 13% per year, and lucrative fisheries for California sea cucumber, geoduck clam, red sea urchin, and Dungeness crab are declining. Fishermen, subsistence users, and managers have concerns for these resources and their coexistence with sea otters. I am addressing a piece of this issue with my Masters work at UAF.
Sea otters were extirpated from Southeast Alaska in the 18th and 19th century fur trade. After that time, marine invertebrate stocks undoubtedly grew in the absence of sea otter predation; then sea otters were reintroduced into Southeast Alaska in the 1960s. In the ensuing decades, sea otters became well established, with the population expanding at the rate of 13% per year, and lucrative fisheries for California sea cucumber, geoduck clam, red sea urchin, and Dungeness crab are declining. Fishermen, subsistence users, and managers have concerns for these resources and their coexistence with sea otters. I am addressing a piece of this issue with my Masters work at UAF.