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Reports & Publications

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Sea Otter Studies at WERC

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are keystone predators in the nearshore environment of the eastern Pacific Ocean, in a food web composed of sea otter, sea urchin, and kelp forest. Without sea otters, the kelp forest can be overgrazed by sea urchins, which in turn can affect other species that depend on this ecosystem. This resource provides links to More...

  • A sea otter floats on its back while grooming

Building Experimental Capacity to Assess Ballast Treatment Effectiveness and Residual Risk

Ballast water discharges are the most significant cause of aquatic biological invasions in coastal waters, including the Great Lakes. Currently, treatment of ballast water prior to discharge at the receiving port offers significant promise to help control this problem. However, development of treatment technologies is limited by lack of objective More...

  • Image of ship discharging ballast water

Retrospective evaluation of Exxon Valdez oil spill Trustee Council sponsored sea otter studies

An extensive and diverse array of studies were implemented concurrent with and for several years following the Exxon Valdez oil spill to determine the acute and chronic effects to sea otters. In part, this paper describes what activities relative to sea otters should take place prior to, during, and following another spill similar to the Exxon More...

  • sea otter in ocean at time of oil spill

Process structuring coastal marine communities in Alaska: DOI trust resources

An overview of research that looks at the interactions between sea otters and prey species, allowing an assessment of the effects that sea otters have on composition and productivity of coastal marine communities. Includes links to USGS publications resulting from this research.

  • two people with binoculars looking out onto a body of water from the shore

Louisiana Coastal Land Loss

This resource provides links to resources that relate to the land changes and land loss of coastal Louisiana. Louisiana Coastal Land Loss was approximately 1,900 square miles, primarily coastal marshes, during the 20th century. Louisiana could lose another 700 square miles over the next 50 years if no new restoration takes place. By 2050, one More...

  • Map of Louisiana coast

Evaluation of Ultraviolet Radiation-Enhanced Toxicity of Aquatic Contaminants

The ultraviolet radiation (UV) component of sunlight can pose a direct threat to aquatic flora and fauna. This issue overview describes the interactive effects of ultraviolet radiation on vertebrate and invertebrate organisms from freshwater and coastal habitats, and interactive effects of ultraviolet radiation on vertebrate and invertebrate More...

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California Red-Legged Frog Movement and Habitat Use

Once an abundant frog throughout much of central and southern California, the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) is now rare in the Sierra Nevada foothills and the southern portion of its range. In parts of the central Coast Range, however, large, vigorous populations do remain. Most protection efforts for this threatened species have More...

  • California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)

Nearshore Vertebrate Predator Project

This project was designed to assess whether or not populations are recovering, whether isolated processes constrain recovery, and the potential activities to facilitate recovery. This web resource provides links to background information on Nearshore Vertebrate Predators, the Sea Otter, the Harlequin Duck, the River Otter, and the Pigeon More...

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Investigation of Tropic Conditions and Biological Resources in Abbotts Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore: A Fishery Inventory

This study was conducted to investigate the inventory, relative abundance, and spatial distribution of fish inhabiting Abbots Lagoon, California. Distribution patterns of the fish were related to water quality or other environmental conditions in the lagoon. Specific objectives of this investigation were to (a) inventory the fish species More...

  • Kasey Grubb (Graduate Student) sampling the gut contents of Sacramento perch with a stomach pump (ga