Earlier this week, SantaCruz.com.html reported that the local sea otter population has been declining because of the leakage of chemical fertilizers and industrial farm waste into the local waters. Now the California Department of Fish and Game reports that scientists have identified a second threat to the dwindling otter population: sharks. In August alone, 19 dead and injured sea otters were found with signs of shark bites.
This is unusual, says Michael Harris, environmental scientist with the agency’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response. “White sharks do not typically feed on sea otters.” The fact that so many have survived, he goes on to explain, is probably because the sharks only bit them once to see if they were palatable in what Harris calls “a taste test.”
Some scientists believe that the shark population along the coast has increased because of changes in the ocean temperature. There have, in fact, been increased sightings of great whites, this year, but this is purely anecdotal evidence. There are no scientific estimates of the shark population along the coast. The 19 sea otters with shark bites is more conclusive evidence, however. The average number of otters found with shark bites in August is just seven. This sharp increase, coupled with the reports of 21 otters that died as a result of toxins, indicate that the California sea otter could well be in more danger than previously thought. Read more at KSBW.
