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Jun 30, 2009 | Posted by: roboblogger

Otter population dips after years of recovery

Full story: Santa Cruz Sentinel

The California sea otter, whose numbers have only recently begun to rebound from the devastating fur trade, appears to be struggling again.

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Passerby

AOL

Thank God the otter population is reclining to a reasonable level. Now the furry little jerks might quit devouring our abalone population to the brink of extinction.

bikerscum

San Jose, CA

i HOPE "passerby" is being facetious! if not, since when did the abalone become "ours"? and don't you think maybe HUMANS have done more to decimate the abalone population( what with poaching, overharvesting, pollution, etc.)than otters?

Carolynne

Santa Cruz, CA

I recall reading in a Pew Report (http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_detail.aspx... ) that there is a cycle between urchin, kelp and sea otters. When the sea otters deplete the urchin population, it affects kelp forest and when the kelp forest is thinned, the otters move on. It takes time for the balance to be restored, but it happens and then they come back. Have the sci guys discounted this?

woo hoo

Santa Cruz, CA

Abalone are tough. What about the Salmon? When can I eat those again.

Good call on the cycle, but it's actually a viral disease (dense populations like at Elkhorn Slough, due to the protection in the area and the ban on fishing for clams & crabs there) and orca and shark predation that has them down. The predation is a recent development--probably due to salmon being depleted (so we can water almonds in the central valley).

Oh, well. The jellyfish and squid seem happy.

Just Sayin

San Francisco, CA

bikerscum wrote:

i HOPE "passerby" is being facetious! if not, since when did the abalone become "ours"? and don't you think maybe HUMANS have done more to decimate the abalone population( what with poaching, overharvesting, pollution, etc.)than otters?

Nope. At three per day and three in possession, for the brave few who go out to get them, we don't endanger the abs. Even with the @%&$^$*# poachers, they do fine. The otters, who, while furry and loveable, dine at their whim 24x7 with no imposed limits in number or size do a real number on the abs.

Think about it. Otters in south bay - no abs. No otters in north bay - lots of abs. It's not a complex formula.
I've never pulled an ab from monterey, but pull a few from the Mendocino coast each year. I do come and throw the scraps into the bay though, hoping an otter will get a taste of that scrumptious crustacean.

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