Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. Sea otters are among the marine mammals at ... [+] risk of infection by the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus. The study says entanglement in fishing gear could harm species including the critically endangered three-striped roofed turtle and the endangered Ganges river dolphin. "We demonstrated this through the Net-Works project in the Philippines, which has been so successful it has become a standalone social enterprise called COAST-4C. “For the conservation of the sea otter, this would be huge.” But there are political challenges. Sea otters … The trade was banned in 1910, with signing of the treaty between America, Japan, Russia and Great Britain. By Staff Writer Last Updated Mar 29, 2020 1:41:16 PM ET. The northern sea otter is native to the territories of Alaska and the northwest of the Pacific Ocean. Many of … Sea otters are known to mate all year round. The sea otters get covered from head to tail in oil which permeates into their coat that disrupts the insulation. The otters are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. University of Exeter. National Geographic Fellow and science co-lead of the expedition Professor Heather Koldewey, of ZSL (the Zoological Society of London) and the University of Exeter, said the study's findings offer hope for solutions based on "circular economy" -- where waste is dramatically reduced by reusing materials. The researchers used a list of 21 river species of "conservation concern" identified by the Wildlife Institute for India. Unlike other marine mammals, the sea otter does not have a layer of fat to keep it warm, so it should rely on dense fur to protect itself from the cold. The southern sea otter (also known as the California sea otter) is located off the coast of California and is known to have a narrow head and small teeth. Ghost fishing threatens endangered river dolphins, critically endangered turtles, otters. The northern sea otter was destroyed from the coast of British Columbia due to more active hunting, but was recently returned to the island of Vancouver. Sarah E. Nelms, Emily M. Duncan, Surshti Patel, Ruchi Badola, Sunanda Bhola, Surfarsha Chakma, Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, Brendan J. Godley, Alifa Bintha Haque, Jeyaraj Antony Johnson, Hina Khatoon, Sumit Kumar, Imogen E. Napper, Md. Have any problems using the site? This is why conservation efforts are in place to help them continue to survive. "The Ganges River supports some of the world's largest inland fisheries, but no research has been done to assess plastic pollution from this industry, and its impacts on wildlife," said Dr Sarah Nelms, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. Zebra Finches Unmask the Bird Behind the Song, Most Effective Strategies to Cut COVID-19 Spread, Memory 'Fingerprints' Reveal Brain Organization, Geology at Mars' Equator: Ancient Megaflood, Healthy Sleep Habits Cut Risk of Heart Failure, NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 Astronauts Headed to ISS, Dolphin Calf Entangled in Fishing Line Only Lived Two Years Following Rescue, Lights on Fishing Nets Save Turtles and Dolphins, Dolphins Tear Up Nets as Fish Numbers Fall, Marine Turtles Dying After Becoming Entangled in Plastic Rubbish, COVID-19 False Negative Test Results If Used Too Early, Supersized Wind Turbines Generate Clean Energy--and Surprising Physics, Blue-Eyed Humans Have a Single, Common Ancestor, Plant Evolves to Stay Hidden from Harvesting Humans, Ancient Blanket Made With 11,500 Turkey Feathers, T. Rex Had Huge Growth Spurts, but Other Dinos Grew Slow and Steady, Largest Aggregation of Fishes in Abyssal Deep Sea, Very Hungry and Angry, Caterpillars Head-Butt to Get What They Want, The Secret Social Lives of Giant Poisonous Rats, Truffle Munching Wallabies Shed New Light on Forest Conservation, Geoscientists Discover Ancestral Puebloans Survived from Ice Melt in New Mexico Lava Tubes, Large Predatory Fish Thrive on WWII Shipwrecks Off North Carolina Coast. Sea otters today are considered a species that is endangered. "Ghost fishing threatens endangered river dolphins, critically endangered turtles, otters." This isn’t exclusive to sea otters alone — river otters are also known to maintain river ecosystems and a healthy fish population by eating diseased fish. They include the Southern River Otter, Hairy Nosed Otter, Giant Otter, and the India Smooth Coated Otter. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader: Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. The study, led by researchers from the University of Exeter, with an international team including researchers from India and Bangladesh, was conducted as part of the National Geographic Society's "Sea to Source: Ganges" expedition. Stats reveal that many otters died between years 1999-2006 of shark bites. (2020, November 25). It is estimated that today there are less than 2,000 representatives left in the wild. "Most fishers told us they mend and repurpose nets if they can, but if they can't do that the nets are often discarded in the river. Hunted nearly to extinction by the fur trade, sea otters are endangered and currently exist in only a portion of their historic range. A sea otter resting in kelp in Monterey Bay, California. "Collection and recycling of nylon 6 has strong potential as a solution because it would cut plastic pollution and provide an income. Get the latest science news with ScienceDaily's free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. They also have a reduced population size, which puts them in danger of … "Many held the view that the river 'cleans it away', so one useful step would be to raise awareness of the real environmental impacts.". By the year 1840, almost all of the California sea otters were exterminated. . The Basics. Historically there were about 16,000 sea otters from the Oregon-California border to Baja, Mexico. Speaking about the why so much fishing gear was found in the river, Dr Nelms said: "There is no system for fishers to recycle their nets. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201125091503.htm (accessed November 29, 2020). It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice. Questions? They combined existing information on entanglements of similar species worldwide with the new data on levels of waste fishing gear in the Ganges to estimate which species are most at risk. As a result the numbers of them are quite low. The main reason that these Otters were hunted though was for their fur. Ghost fishing threatens endangered river dolphins, critically endangered turtles, otters Date: November 25, 2020 Source: University of Exeter Summary: ", Professor Koldewey added: "This is a complex problem that will require multiple solutions -- all of which must work for both local communities and wildlife.". The sea otters get covered from head to tail in oil which permeates into their coat that disrupts the insulation. Many of the different species of Otters have been heavily hunted in the past. Dr Nelms' work was partly funded by the ExeMPLaR Project, and was supported by access to the analytical facilities of the Greenpeace Research Laboratories. Materials provided by University of Exeter. Loss of sea otters accelerating the effects of climate change Date: September 10, 2020 Source: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Summary: The impacts of … Content on this website is for information only. ScienceDaily shares links with sites in the. Sea otters are listed as an endangered species because they are vulnerable to oil spills from ships and coastal tanker traffic. "Ingesting plastic can harm wildlife, but our threat assessment focussed on entanglement, which is known to injure and kill a wide range of marine species.". University of Exeter. In the United States Otters are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Otters Conservation Status. ScienceDaily. Sea otters eat 25% of their body weight a day. Why are Sea Otters Endangered? People actively hunted for the sea otters’ wool in the 18th century, which meant destructive influence for the species, and sea otters began to occur less frequently and less frequently in the natural habitat. For example, the 18-year-old federal recovery plan for southern sea otters, mandated under the Endangered Species Act, requires extensive revision because much of the scientific data upon which it was based are no longer relevant. Interviews with local fishers revealed high rates of fishing equipment being discarded in the river -- driven by short gear lifespans and lack of appropriate disposal systems. ScienceDaily, 25 November 2020. Fishing nets -- all made of plastic -- were the most common type of gear found. Currently, there are only 3,000 sea otters left in the wild, making them heavily endangered. But it may be drawing attention away from the value of other habitat that could truly help the endangered species in its recovery—estuaries. Waste fishing gear in the River Ganges poses a threat to wildlife including otters, turtles and dolphins, new research shows. ScienceDaily. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners.