"Along California's coast, between Santa Cruz and Monterey, sits a body of water named Elkhorn Slough-a place that has become a bastions for the state's sea otters. With its abundance of fish and relatively undisturbed natural habitat, this seven-mile stretch of coast has become a go-to for otters looking to mate, raise their young, and play. While restoration efforts have brought California's"
"sea otter population from the brink of extinction, after they were hunted for their furs through the 18th and 19th centuries, a new threat may be on the horizon. Under the Endangered Species Act, it is illegal to "take" an endangered species. As a legal term, "take" refers to actions that would lead to the species being harassed, harmed or killed. In the legislation's 52-year history, "harm" included actions that erased natural habitats."
Elkhorn Slough, located between Santa Cruz and Monterey, provides abundant fish and relatively undisturbed habitat that supports California's sea otters for mating, rearing young, and play. Restoration efforts recovered the species from near-extinction after extensive 18th- and 19th-century fur hunting. The Endangered Species Act makes it illegal to "take" endangered species, where "take" legally includes actions that harass, harm, or kill individuals. Historically, "harm" covered actions that destroyed natural habitats. Potential changes to the Act could narrow the definition of "take" and remove habitat protections, increasing risks to concentrated otter populations in refuges like Elkhorn Slough.
Read at Kqed
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]