In the last few months, I have been working on several reporting assignments on sea otters in California and British Columbia. Extirpated in British Columbia by the fur trade, sea otters were reintroduced to the province from Alaska over 45 years ago. They since reproduced and expanded their range, initially growing at a rate of up to 19 percent per year in some area, There are now nearly 7,000 otters in BC along the west coast of Vancouver Island. In California, the otters have also made a remarkable comeback, and scientists are constantly learning about the profound impacts these top predators are having on the environment. Read my story published in June in BBC Wildlife about these fascinating eco engineers.
Early June, I had the great opportunity to document a sea otter capture in Monterey and learn about the work of long-time sea otter scientist (Tim Tinker) and come face to face with the animals. More updates from the field soon.
Banner photo: Tim Tinker and Mike Murray examine sea otter pup at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.