Posted by seahunt on March 01, 2001 at 20:26:50:
In Reply to: Re: They sure are destructive...??? posted by kelphead on March 01, 2001 at 18:53:07:
I never said they were bad. As you should know, I make most of my judgements in an ecological frame. They change the reef ecology from one of diversity and vitality, to an ecology of ... well nothing but kelp with some sponges and tunicates. Almost all the interesting invertebrate life that we see when diving, is just gone.
Have you dove in otter areas? Dive near Morro Bay or something. You don't need to be an ecological analyst to see what the area is like. Can you imagine doing a day of diving and never seeing a purple or red urchin, no cowrys, few stars, few cucumbers, no scallops of any size, ... not much at all?
Also, have you checked out the research posted on the site the original post pointed to? Those are studies of otter impact in different areas.
Otters are a natural part of the environment just the way humans are. Has it ever dismayed you how destructive of the ecology humans can be? Otters are far worse. Not necessarily bad, but certainly very depressing.
Enjoy, seahunt