Sea Otter Fisheries Conflicts in Washington
During the sea otters’ absence from the coastal waters of Washington and elsewhere, nearshore ecosystems changed dramatically. Sea urchins and other invertebrate grazers multiplied without the sea otters role as a keystone predator. Urchins and other invertebrate grazers feed voraciously on kelp, wiping out entire kelp forests. Despite the role of the sea otter as a keystone species that shapes the dynamics of their ecosystem through species enhancement, all involved have not supported the return of the sea otter to Washington. As in California, they have come into conflict with commercial, sport, and recreational shellfish fishermen. The added component in Washington is tribal fisheries.
One of those shellfish operations is the Makah tribe’s commercial sea urchin fishery. Sea urchin eggs were a traditional food of the Makahs, and they are considered a delicacy in Japan. Japanese importers pay top dollar for them. As sea otters and Makah urchin divers compete for the same food items, controversial management issues are sure to arise. For a period of 25 years after the reintroduction of sea otters to Washington, conflicts between sea otters and commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries was minimal, if non-existent. These fisheries were not known to be appreciably affected by the presence of sea otters. However, as sea otters migrate into areas where these fisheries occur, the probability of conflict greatly increases. There are at least six other fisheries that could pose potential conflicts with sea otter recovery efforts.*
While impending and existing fisheries-sea otter conflicts are present in Washington, there have been efforts by some to bring the sea otter back to Oregon. The Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon has risen to create and support the Elakha Alliance, a collaboration of representatives from Oregon Tribes, Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Portland State University, the Oregon Zoo, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Ecotrust and others, headed up by David Hatch. They have formed to work on bringing sea otters back to the Oregon Coast. "Elakha" is a Chinook Indian word for sea otter. One of the Alliance’s stated purpose to bring the sea otter back to Oregon is "to provide for the restoration of balanced coastal ecosystem and tribal access to cultural materials.
*Summary of Fisheries That are Likely to Impact Washington Sea Otters
Sea urchins: Commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries.
The Makah is the tribe involved in this fishery. Neah Bay, the San Juan Islands and Strait of Juan de Fuca are areas of where urchin fisheries exist. Sea otters are already in two of those places, Neah Bay and Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Dungeness Crab: Commercial and tribal fisheries.
The Quileute and Quinault tribes are involved in this fishery. The Dungeness crab is the only crab of commercial importance in Washington. These crabs are found within the Strait and in north Puget Sound. They are most productive and broadly distributed from La Push southward. The enclosed waters of Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay could pose potential conflicts as these are major crab nurseries.
Abalone: Commercial and recreational fisheries are not supported in Washington.
Pinto abalone are found within the Strait and along the coastlines of the San Juan Islands. Sea otter and pinto abalone ranges currently overlap south and east of Cape Flattery.
Sea cucumber: Commercial and tribal.
Sea cucumbers are found along the outer coast and in the Strait. Commercial fisheries occur in the San Juan Islands and in Port Angeles, both east of the present sea otter range. Harvests of sea cucumbers have increased dramatically through the years from 400,000 pounds taken through 1987 to an average of 3 million pounds annually from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
Geoduck clams: At present, the sea otter range does not include areas where geoducks are commercially exploited, although commercial beds exist in the western Strait. These clams are found in Puget Sound and the Strait. At present, the sea otter range does not include areas where geoducks are commercially exploited, although small commercial beds exist in the western areas of the Strait. This geoduck clam supports one of the most valuable fisheries on the west coast of the United States. Sea otters are capable of preying upon geoducks, but their foraging efficiency is low due to the ability of the clams to bury themselves up to 1 meter deep.
Razor Clams: Commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries.
The Makah and Quinault tribes are involved in this fishery. These clams are found in sandy beaches between the Columbia River and Moclips, but they range northward as far as Makah Bay. Potential conflicts arise as sea otters move along the southern outer coast of Washington into preferred razor clam habitat.
Other clams: Several species are of importance in commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries. Although sea otters are found in areas that support other clam species (Manila, littleneck, cockle, and others), it is not believed that they have significant affects on the commercial, tribal and recreational harvests of these other clam species.
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