Biologists Begin Sea Otter Census
They won’t be asking about ethnicity or household income, but biologists have begun their annual spring sea otter census.
Sea otters are a keystone species, mammals at the top of the food chain and an indicator of the health of the marine ecosystem that is their habitat.
This year’s count began Monday at Pescadero Point.
Four field biologists armed with Leica binoculars and Questar scopes spotted nine otters, one fewer than last spring.
The census is a joint project of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
It will take about two weeks.
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