Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, trappers and traders prized sea otters because of their thick and waterproof fur. Back in that time, some people were willing to pay a handsome sum of money just to get their hands on otter pelts. And so the once common sea otter (Enhydra lutris) was nearly hunted to extinction in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Fortunately, thanks to conservation efforts, sea otter numbers have rebounded. However, they aren’t welcomed back to the world, because they compete with people for shellfish. It was “a conflict that has provoked debate about balancing the need protections for the otters with the economic impact of their presence in the coastal waters.”
A study published … in Science finds that in economic terms, the otters' effect on their ecosystem—including increasing populations of fish, carbon capture and tourism—far outweigh the costs to the commercial shellfish fisheries with which they compete for tasty clams and crabs.
Check out Smithsonian Magazine for more details about this study.
(Image Credit: Marshal Hedin/ Wikimedia Commons)