Summary
In addition to chemical contamination, we also know that otters are dying of a mix of diseases, trauma such as shark bite, and emaciation. There is no one disease that is preponderant (although between 30 to 50 percent of otters die from disease of one sort or another) but disease, trauma and emaciation all suggest low general health. Healthy otters can fight off disease, better avoid sharks, boats and dangers, and forage for enough food. Unhealthy sea otters swimming in waters that are teeming with hazards seem less able to do any of those things.
In the absence of 100 percent certainty, we need to use the best available science to make some deductions. Sea otters are one of the most studied species in the world; we should be able to do this. And scientific evidence points us in the right direction. Studies have shown that mink, one of the sea otters' closest relatives, experience immune problems when exposed to many of the same chemicals that are found in sea otter tissue. Studies on harbor seals and killer whales tell us that marine mammals across the board are being burdened by contaminants, and further studies suggest that such contaminants play a role in marine mammal die offe.See the full content of this document
Extract
Otter Insanity
There's been a lot of media attention about sea otters since a recent U.S. Geological Survey report that the population along the California coast has entered another decline, faster than any tim...
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