Well, it’s almost spring, and awards for the most important animal in the ocean are being given out again. And the winner is: The sea otter! But of course, the sea otter wins every year.
First, Toola died. The surrogate sea otter mom from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Sympathy Award.
Next, white sharks are munching more sea otters. That could cause the population to decline (again), and the sea otter will never be de-listed if this continues. Unforeseen Circumstances Award.
And the government-created “Management Zone” is impeding recovery, too. Predictable Circumstances Award.
Of course, all of this is silly. But sea otters are big business, though only for a few: the government scientists who dream up drivel decade after decade and those who promote the drivel.
Gone are the days when families could go to the beach and dig up a sack of Pismo clams, or pick a few abalone. Gone, too, are the former local commercial fisheries for abalone, sea urchin, halibut, and white sea bass. These fisheries either saw resources depleted by sea otters or were banned due to interactions.
All of these fisheries, the jobs, taxes, and infrastructure have been given up in order to produce more sea otters. The problem now is the animals themselves: They eat too much. We now have a population of malnourished marine mammals.
Don’t fret; government biologists and environmentalists are on the case. But will lining their own pockets actually save the sea otter? One thing is for sure: Next year, there will be another hand-wringing award show for the most important animal in the sea.
Stay tuned.
This article appears in Mar 15-22, 2012.