Paerns of Re-establishment of sea oers in Brish Columbia

M. Boogaards • Marime fur trade - 1778 • Ecologically exnct – 1850s • Exrpated as a species in BC - 1930

B. Gisborne Reintroducon to 1969 – 1972: Total 89 animals released K. Morrison • “[the] whole idea from the beginning was to return to the [Brish Columbia] coast an animal that we had destroyed” …during the same era

And in the US… • Endangered Species Act • Marine Mammal Protecon Act Sea otter range sea oer populaon growth

10000

1000

18.6% per year to 1995 100

Number of ottersNumber of 8.4% per year thereaer

10

1 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 Year Central coast sea oer populaon growth 10000

1000

100

Number of ottersNumber of 11.4% per year 10

1 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 Year • Extralimital sighngs. Mostly sighngs of single animals • Juan de Fuca Strait, , … Occupy exposed rocky coastal areas…for the most part At edge of occupied range, oen find male ras Ras of females (and pups) form and occupy habitats inside the established range Number of sea oers increase in an area unl it reaches an equilibrium with available food.

Checleset Bay

Number of oers Nuchatlitz Kyuquot

~1978 years ~now Populaon growth

10000

1000

100

Number of sea otters

10 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 Year

Nichol et al. 2005 Diet changes in an area as populaon in an area grows to equilibrium density Sea Cucumbers are really chewy “how do I eat this!”

E. Rechsteiner Sea Oer Survey 2013 Observer “A” team

Robin Abernethy Caitlin Blain Mike DeRoos Leah Honka Stan Hutchings Linda Nichol Erin Rechsteiner Leah Saville Jared Towers Jane Watson

M. Boogaards Wright Sound near entrance to on July 10th, 1793 From the journal of Archibald Menzies aboard the HMS Discovery.

“We met in mid-channel with a vast crowd of sea oers consisng of several hundreds basking on the surface of the water with their young and moving with the de…. from the journal of Archibald Menzies aboard the HMS Discovery 1793. “Queen Charloe’s Isles …. these islands and the shores adjacent have of late years afforded a more abundant supply of sea oer skins to the adventurous traders than any other part of the coast”. Aer 1799 locaons south of Skidegate cease to be menoned. Depleon of sea oer populaon in the south?

Places of trade menoned in ship logbooks 1787 to 1799.