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Introduction:
Over the course of about 250 years beginning about 1750 perhaps a million sea otters were harvested for their fur throughout their range. When the harvest ended 13 small populations remained all but one along their northern range. Today more than 150,000 sea otters occupy more than half their original range. Other sea otter stories Jim will tell, include their relation to the locally abundant river otter, their ecology, predators and how to catch a sea otter in the wild.

Jim was a research biologist and leader for coastal marine ecosystems research in Alaska
until his retirement in 2013 and remains a scientist emeritus with the US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center. He received degrees in biological science from Long Beach State University and California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA. Jim has been studying sea otters and coastal marine ecosystems since 1977 and has published more than 150 peer reviewed manuscripts. Jim currently operates a small biological consulting firm and conducts long term monitoring of coastal marine food webs in the Gulf of Alaska and serves as an advisor to the Sea Otter Foundation and Trust
and the Elakha Alliance.