Patterns and processes of population change in selected nearshore vertebrate predators

Description:

This study estimated and compared sea otter populations over time between oiled and unoiled areas in Prince William Sound, collected age at death data from sea otter carcasses found on beaches in the western portion of the Sound, and measured and compared hydrocarbon levels in blood samples from sea otters in oiled and unoiled areas of the Sound. Green sea urchin abundance and class size was looked at as a measure of sea otter recovery. Harlequin duck populations were tracked to determine the rate of recovery since the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and captive populations at the Alaska SeaLife Center were studied to determine behavioral and CYP1A responses to oil exposure.

subjects: Harlequin duck,  Green sea urchin,  Sea otter,  Sea urchin populations,  Marking,  Bird populations,  Physiological effect,  Mortality,  Effect of oil spills on,  Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,  Oil spills and wildlife

Places: Alaska,  Prince William Sound