Alaska is home to about seventy-five percent of the world’s sea otters. Sea otters are a keystone species, as they have a substantial impact on the ecosystems they inhabit. The growing interest to increase mariculture activity in Alaska is prompting questions about interactions between sea otters and industry. Alaska Sea Grant is funding research in […]
The impacts of predator loss and climate change are combining to devastate living reefs that have defined Alaskan kelp forests for centuries, according to new research published in Science. “We discovered that massive limestone reefs built by algae underpin the Aleutian Islands’ kelp forest ecosystem,” said Douglas Rasher, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for […]
ARHNAQ – SEA OTTER ALLRINGUQ ARNAQ MAANI PILITAARTUQ ARHNAT AMIT ATURLUKI. – THERE IS ONE WOMAN HERE WHO MAKES THINGS USING SEA OTTER SKINS. Hunted nearly to extinction during the historic era, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is now a common sight in Kodiak waters. These playful mammals live in nearshore colonies where they […]
After reading my column about biologists who once stocked a Southeast Alaska island with wolves, a reader mailed me a book. In it, the author detailed people’s attempts to import raccoons, wild pigs and other creatures to Alaska. In addition to well-known events like the recent introduction of wood bison to the Innoko River country, […]