Oil’s Well?

© 2019 Pam Ferris-Olson

The California Sea Otter aka the Southern Sea Otter has been federally protected since 1972 under the Endangered Species Act. Currently, this otter population is estimated around 3,000, far below its historic high. Various factors limit further expansion in terms of its population’s size and geographic range. The long-term prospects for survival are debatable because the otter lives in an area with significant potential for a sizeable oil spill. Such an event would have disastrous consequences for the otter because oil damages the fur's ability to act as an insulator, a quality that is essential for protection from the chilling temperatures of the Pacific Ocean.

A plan to safeguard the sea otter included the establishment of a reserve colony in the waters surrounding California’s San Nicolas Island. Commercial fisheries concerned about competition with the otter for shellfish resources successfully argued that a reserve colony should be balanced with an enforced “otter-free zone” along the mainland. Although the requirement for an “otter-free zone” has been abandoned, natural factors restrict the sea otters from freely expanding along the California coast. These facts are referenced by the colorful rendering of census data reflecting the linear density of the population along the coast. Additionally, the otter in the picture is spatially confined within the picture’s frame.