Northern Sea Otters by Taryn McLaughlin

https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/northern-sea-otters/

OTTER DEVASTATION

Northern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris keyoni)

By: Taryn McLaughlin

       Description + Ecology

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=seaotter.main

Sea otters live to be 15-20 years. Sea otters are, on average, four feet long and weigh 45-65 pounds. They have strong canines and molars to tear their main diet of sea urchins, clams, mussels, and crustaceans. Its prey ranges from tiny limpets crabs to giant octopuses. Females begin breeding one pup annually starting at age 2-5 years; in Alaska, most pups are born in late spring. 
The Northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris keyoni) is the sub-population located mainly in Southern Alaska--specifically the Attu Island to the Western Cook Inlet. There are currently an estimated 70,000 Northern sea otters currently extant. Most of their habitats are near shore marine environments, with “84% of foraging…in water ≤ 30m in depth” (IUCN Red List). Traditionally, they prefer habitats with rocky coastlines, thick kelp forests or barrier reefs that offer protection from severe ocean winds.

Geographic + Population Changes

http://www.seaotters.org/otterspotting/

 Originally, sea otters were found across the North Pacific Rim—from “Hokkaido, Japan, through the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Commander Islands, the Aleutian Islands, peninsular and south coastal Alaska and south to Baja California, Mexico” (IUCN Red List). But, unfortunately, the Canadian and Mexican sub-populations have since been extirpated. Today, the sea otter ranges in gaps from the Aleutian Islands to the Prince William Sound; as mentioned before, the Northern sea otter occurs from the Southern Alaskan Islands to British Columbia, Canada.

In the early 1700s, the estimated worldwide sea otter population was 150,000-300,000 individuals. The Northern sea otter sub-population once contained more than half of the world’s sea otters, but has now “undergone on overall population decline of at least 55-67 percent since the mid-1980s” (ECOS). By 2000, the population had decreased by 90%. Reports indicate a population increase in 2005, but still remain far below the region’s carrying capacity.

Date + Cause of Listing

As of 08/09/2005 the Northern Sea Otter is listed as threatened.

Beginning in 1741, Russian explorers commercial harvested sea otters for their furs. Most sea otter hunting and trading has ceased since the end of commercial fur trade in 1911; however, 300 know sea otter pelts were being sold on the Russian Black Market in as late as the summer of 2005.

Current Threats

 http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/

it-took-25-years-sea-otters-get-over-exxon-valdez-

oil-spill.html

        Today, oil spills are the largest human-caused threat to sea otters. Unlike other marine mammals, like polar bears and whales, sea otters lack a blubber layer, so they rely on their fur keep them warm. [Fun Fact!: Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal on earth with 1 million hairs per square inch (Leibowitz Poma).] The oil hinders the otter furs’ insulating property, causing sea otters to become hypothermic. The 1989 Exxon Oil Spill killed of thousands of sea otters; it took 25 years for the population to recover (Richard).
            Smaller accounts for the decline of Northern sea otter populations include: predation of killer whales in the Aleutian Islands, competition with commercial fisheries, and disease and contaminant outbreaks.

Recovery Plan

1. Monitor populations

a.     Evaluate population sizes, individual body conditions, vital rates, and overall functional role within ecosystems.

2. Identify habitat areas and prepare conservation plans under Alaskan fisheries

3. Manage the impacts of human uses

a.     Control subsistence harvest

b.     Reduce incidental take in fisheries and entanglement in debris

c.      Eliminate illegal take

4. Evaluate the impact of diseases and develop management plans where necessary

5. Evaluate the role of predation by sharks and killer whales

6. Protect from human-caused threats

a.     oil spills, contaminant, biotoxins

b.     create outreach programs to teach mariners how to avoid striking otters

7. Implement recovery program

a.     Maintain positions within FWS

b.     Continue research efforts

c.      Secure funding for management and research needs

What Can You Do?

1.  DONATE to organizations like the IUCN and WWF

2. If you’re an Alaskan Citizen, VOTE on legislation that protects Northern Sea Otter populations.

Other Resources

"Alaska Program." Seaotters.org.Friends of the Sea Otter, Web. 27 Nov. 2016.

Leibowitz Poma, Elissa."Ten Facts about Sea Otters." WWF. World Wildlife Fund,13 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

"Northern Sea Otter." Marine Mammal Commission. Marine Mammal Commision, Web. 27 Nov. 2016. 

Richard, Michael Graham."It Took 25 Years for Alaska Sea Otters to Get over the Exxon Valdez OilSpill." TreeHugger. CBC, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.  

Please help save the otters, they’re BEGGING you!!!
https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/northern-sea-otters/

Blue Whales - Johnathan Nguyen

What are Blue Whales?

(wwf.panda.org)

Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the largest animals in size on the planet growing up to 100 feet in length and weighing up to 200 tons. These fascinating creatures have hearts that can weigh as much as a car and a tongue that is even heavier than that. The offsprings of the blue whales are considered one of the largest mammals on the planet from their birth. In order to reach this size and weight, they diet on krills. They can consume as much as 4 tons of krill a day. They are also considered the loudest animals to live on Earth. The noises they emit can overpower the sounds of a jet engine. These whales wander throughout all of the oceans in the world and are most frequently seen traveling alone or in pairs. They moderately drift throughout the ocean at a decent pace of 20 miles per hour.

Blue whales have been dated as one of the animals that have lived on Earth the longest. However, their existence clearly shows that size does not matter. Their enormous size does not make them immune to danger. These large mammals often fall prey to killer whales, sharks, and also humans. Risks for the blue whales include collision with ships, ice entrapment, and chemical pollution.

(motherjones.com)

The blue whale was listed as Endangered in 1973 due to its population remaining dangerously low ever since they were commercially hunted in the 1800s and early 1900s. They were originally protected by International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in 1966, which was replaced by the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

Recovery Plan

1. The first step of the recovery plan is to determine the “stock structure” of blue whales living in U.S. waters and throughout any other body of waters in the world.
2. Estimating the trends in the blue whale’s population
3. To identify the proper environment to ensure the protection and population growth for blue whales
4. Reducing human impact on the blue whales where it is possible such as reducing chemical pollution and entanglement of whales through fishing lines
5. Minimizing possible interactions between whales and large ships to reduce injury towards blue whales
6. Acquire accurate data on the population of blue whales when they are dead, stranded, or entangled
7. Coordinate efforts on every level to ensure international protection of blue whales
8. Establish criterias to decide whether or not to downlist whales

What can you do?

There are several ways that you can help protect these magnificent creatures, even though you may not feel as if you are not contributing that great of an effort. You may donate to groups such as World Wide Fund for Nature or “adopt a whale”, which will provide funds for the whale. Also, by simply spreading awareness that these avenues are accessible for all those who are caring and willing enough to help conserve these creatures for future generations to come.

(http://adopt-us.whales.org/)

Citations

“Support the Blue Whale”. The IUCN List of Endangered Species,

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/2477/0. Accessed 29 Nov 2016.

“Blue Whale Federally Endangered”. Alaska Department of Fish and Game,

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=specialstatus.fedsummary&species=bluewhale. Accessed 29 Nov 2016.

“Blue Whale”. National Geographic,

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/blue-whale/. Accessed 29 Nov 2016

“Blue Whale”. World Wildlife, http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/blue-whale. Accessed 29 Nov 2016

The Desert Tortoise by Clayton Nadeau

The Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

                               By Clayton Nadeau

A little about the desert tortoise

The desert tortoise is the largest land turtle in the United States. Mature males range in size from 4" to 6" high, and 9" to 15" long. They eat cacti, grasses and wildflowers. They can store 40% of their body weight in their bladder. They live up to 50 years in the wild. They begin reproducing between the ages of 12 and 20, and lay from 1 - 14 eggs in the late spring and summer. The mother leaves the nest, so the hatchlings are left to survive on their own.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_tortoise

Where they live

The Mojave population of the desert tortoise encompasses a specific area that is north and west of the Colorado River in the states of Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. These tortoises live at sea level and up to 3,500 feet. They live in a variety of types of habitat, from flat, sandy areas, to rocky foothills. Mostly they like sloped areas with sandy soil and lots of diverse perennial plants. They live 95% of their life underground.

Photo https://currencewiki.wikispaces.com/Ava+Wallace+-+Desert+Tortoise

Geographic and Population Changes

In the 1950's the desert tortoise population averaged a minimum of 200 adults per square mile. Recent evaluations show 5 - 60 adults per square mile. Their environment has been affected by a number of things, including urban development, construction of roads and highways, wildfire, livestock grazing, landfills, and military operations. Energy development projects are also an issue, reducing their space to exist.

http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/deserttortoise.html

Listing Date

The official status of the desert tortoise is Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the species endangered due to an urgent request from environmentalists. The recovery plan was first published in June of 1994. There is a moderate degree of threat and a low potential for recovery. This is due to their compromised habitat and low rate of reproducing.

Photo http://adventuresofthetruckinduo.blogspot.com/

Listing cause / threats to existence

The cause of the listing was the drastic reduction in the population of the desert tortoise. The main threat to the continued existence of the desert tortoise is how we as humans usurp the land of their habitats. For the most part, this includes conflict between nature and human economic development. Below is a photo of a solar power plant in the Mojave Desert, which has destroyed the environment of the desert tortoise.

Recovery Plan

The recovery plan outlines that while the threat to the desert tortoise is real, there is not a lot of data available to evaluate the threats with specific data. The revised recovery plan emphasizes the necessity to develop further understanding of specific threats, as well as understanding them on a broader scale.

We can help!

• Visit The Rain Forest Site and sign a petition to try and stop BrightSource Energy from building a solar plant in the Mojave Desert, which would further disrupt their environment. http://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/trs/petition/DesertTortoise 
• Adopt a tortoise on the Defenders of Wildlife website. Or check out their Wildlife Action Center to send messages to government leaders. http://www.defenders.org/desert-tortoise/what-you-can-do 
• Visit the Save the Desert Tortoise Facebook page to stay up to date on what's happening to this endangered species.

Citations / Websites to check out...

"Basic Facts About Desert Tortoises". http://www.defenders.org. Web 27 November 2106. 

Butler, Kiera. "Big Solar's Death Panels". http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2011/03/solar-panels-desert-tortoise-mojave. Web 27 November 2106.

"Mojave Desert Tortoise". http://www.fws.gov/Nevada/desert_tortoise/dt/dt_life.html. Web 27 November 2106.

Newman, Shane. "Desert Tortoise". http://www.animalspot.net. Web 27 November 2106.

"Saving the Desert Tortoise". http://www.biologicaldiversity.org. Web 27 November 2106.

Stringfellow, Kim. "Gopherus agassizii: A Cultural History of Tortoises". http://www.mojaveproject.org. Web 27 November 2106.