Posted by Steve on December 12, 2002 at 14:42:05:
In Reply to: Re: "But I don't want the otters back" Seahunt posted by seahunt on December 11, 2002 at 18:48:50:
Seahunt wrote:
" They are cute, furry ecological disasters."
You have a point that I can't rebut. The otter eats around 15 pounds of food per day to keep warm because it lacks the blubber of seals or whales. They don't have size or species limits as you pointed out. I've heard some argue that the otter can hold down the Urchin population. At what expense? That is a poor arguement in my view. A urchin fishermen would be happy to thin out the herd of urchins. One might argue that they have a right to exist but being a vital species for a healthy ecosystem is what I question. I'll be happy to hear opposing points of view.