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The Saga of the Alaska Sea Otters
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# : |
19799 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
3 / 1991 |
2,152 Words |
| Author
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Randall W. Davis and Terric M. Williams
Randall W. Davis and Terrie M. Williams are codirectors of
International Wildlife Research, an oil-spill response
organization with offices in League City, Texas, and Kailua,
Hawaii. |
On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, releasing 11 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean. Although 28 oil spills have been larger, the Valdez accident was the first spill to affect a large number of sea otters. More than 16,000 sea otters inhabited the portions of Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska that were contaminated by oil. This was about 10 percent of the 150,000 sea otters that live along the Alaskan coast.
At the request of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Exxon Company USA initiated an unprecedented effort to rescue and treat sea otters that had become oiled. They built rehabilitation and prerelease facilities in Valdez, Seward, and Homer, each center having the capacity to treat about 100 otters. All facilities remained in operation until September 1989. At its peak, the sea otter rehabilitation program had over 350 paid and volunteer staff, 11 capture vessels, and a helicopter to transport otters from the capture boats to the rehabilitation centers.
The three centers treated a total of 357 sea otters and released 197 adult otters into Prince William Sound and along the Kenai Peninsula, at the direction of the USFWS. In addition, the centers transferred 13 pups--some of which had been born in captivity--to seaquariums because they were too young to be released. Another 24 adult otters were sent to seaquariums for health reasons.
The Sea Otter Rehabilitation Program in Alaska led to many new and innovative techniques for treating fur-bearing marine mammals, especially sea otters. Earlier research had produced an effective method for cleaning oiled sea otters, but most other aspects of the rehabilitation process were still untested and speculative. The scientists and veterinarians at the rehabilitation centers were constantly developing innovative solutions to unforeseen problems. For example, rehabilitation facilities had to be designed from scratch and constructed in remote areas within a few days. Diagnostic protocols and treatments for the potential petroleum hydrocarbon toxicosis in sea otters were unavailable.
As information from this effort would be invaluable if another spill occurred, a thorough documentation effort was initiated. Information was collected on sea otter husbandry, veterinary care, and toxicology. Research and data analysis initiated during the sea otter rehabilitation program has resulted in significant advances in treatment for oiled otters and preparation for future oil
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