Just like clockwork, every year is a crisis for sea otters, and this year is no different. Why? Crisis is good for business.
Last week’s crisis was the lack of taxpayer funding to pay for more research. This week’s crisis is a three-year average decline in the spring population survey.
Oh my!
The truth is that the survey method used to count the population is known to be off by 10 percent. This is because the otters may be underwater, in kelp, or affected by weather factors like wind, waves, and fog, which obscures visibility for those searching for the animals. This means that instead of the 2,711 animals reported, there would actually be approximately 2,982. This “real” number is very close to the 3,090 needed to remove the animal from the Endangered Species Act list, and we can’t have that, can we? That would be bad for the sea otter industry.
If the animals were de-listed, would things change? Well, not much. In fact, things could improve for the animals. De-listing would increase management options for sea otters. Will this ever happen? Not likely in today’s preservationist climate. Too many people who make a living off endangered species might lose their jobs.
The majority of money raised to help sea otters really does little for the animals. Instead, it pays for all those who have carved out a comfortable living on the backs of the animals and the coastal communities who used to supply fish and shellfish for our
dinner tables.
Balance? What balance?
This article appears in Aug 12-19, 2010.