The push to return sea otters to the Oregon Coast | The Story | July 26, 2024

July 26 on The Story: More than a century ago, sea otters along the Oregon Coast were hunted to local extinction for the commercial fur trade. Never has their absence in coastal ecosystems been felt more acutely than in the last few years, after a mysterious ailment called "sea star wasting disease" wiped out sea stars along the West Coast - leaving unchecked purple sea urchins to multiply and munch through the region's vital kelp forests. Once upon a time, sea otters would have been there to help prey on the urchins. Now, they're a rarity. But a group championed by some of Oregon's coastal tribes has been working to bring sea otters back, in hopes of righting a historic wrong.
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