A safe population of sea otters now occupies the California coastline from Santa Cruz south to almost Avila. The "sea otter-abalone" conflict has evolved into a sea otter-shellfish resource controversy. When the otter moved into Pismo clam beaches and around piers where red and rock crabs were taken, it soon became evident that the efficiency of sea otter foraging would preclude several fisheries. The fisheries that will be precluded statewide if sea otters are not eventually contained are: Pismo clam, abalone, sea urchin, and ocean mariculture. Severely reduced fisheries will be red and rock crabs, sea mussel, rock scallop, and razor clam. Fisheries potentially in jeopardy may be the Dungeness crab, spiny lobster, and oyster rack fisheries. This growing controversy is being evaluated in a society in which non-consumptive values of wildlife species are gaining recognition. Society will have to make a decision to either have sea otters occupy the entire coastline or to contain the sea otter within certain boundaries, outside of which shellfish fisheries can be maintained. Containment management is not being recommended by the State of California at this time. Research must first be conducted on the effects of removal of the large concentration of animals at the range peripheries, the migrant front animals. These animals are mostly young males that theoretically are surplus to the population. The sea otter's limiting factor appears to be starvation. The carrying capacity is thus determined by food items available, and the rate of emigration into new areas is determined by the number of animals in the migrant fronts and the amount of food available in each new foraging area.
|
