Sea otters are what’s known as a keystone species: their foraging and feeding behaviors have a major effect on the health of their ecosystem.
In Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, sea otters often spend their time in kelp forests, where they feed on invertebrates like sea urchins. Without the sea otters, sea urchin populations can get out of control – and since sea urchins eat kelp, that can spell trouble for the kelp forest ecosystem.
Off the coast of Washington state, sea otters were hunted to local extinction by the early 1900s. But in 1969 and 1970, a few dozen were reintroduced.
Since then, the sea otter population on the outer coast of Washington has grown to approximately 1,600 animals!
Researchers in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center are now working to assess how this adorable species’ recovery has affected the nearshore ecosystem.
Check out our video to learn more about their research!
Caesuria 