In Reply to: Re: I Otter Be Diving posted by SDM on March 11, 2012 at 06:32:35:

Up here on the North Coast there used to be tons of otters, the real big ones with thick pelts. They were like southern otters but on steroids.
The Russians took care of them back in the 1800's.
But besides that, they must not have wiped out all the abalone even before the Russians came otherwise there would be no abalone today. There are stories of the Pomo native Americans harvesting abalone and otters while otters and abs were living side by side.
The reason we have so many abs (literally on top of each other and I have pics to prove it) is because of the Russians. Today we have urchin divers to keep the urchins in check.
If the northern otter comes back who knows what will happen?
It's out of our control.
If they come back and wipe out the abs then I guess they will shut down ab diving and that will be that.
Not that it will end my life, I still love to dive just to dive and could care less if I ever take another ab again.
It is what it is.