A recent report contends that reintroducing sea otters to the Oregon coast is feasible and beneficial to the state’s marine ecosystem if certain best reintroduction policies are followed. However, sea otter’s voracious appetites for certain invertebrates may have “consequential” impacts on area fisheries.
Sea otters have an outsized impact on the ecosystems they inhabit, making them a “keystone species” with few if any other species suitable to replace them. The report explained how sea otters’ role in a marine food chain naturally limits sea urchins and other large invertebrate species, like Dungeness crabs.
Should Sea Otters Be Brought Back to the Oregon Coast? - EcoWatch
Sea otters have an outsized impact on the ecosystems they inhabit, making them a “keystone species” with few if any other species suitable to replace them. The report explained how sea otters’ role in a marine food chain naturally limits sea urchins and other large invertebrate species, like Dungeness crabs.
Should Sea Otters Be Brought Back to the Oregon Coast? - EcoWatch
