Sea Otter Conservation and Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration

The Whale Museum’s Summer Lecture wraps up on September 24 at 7:00 PM PT with another exciting lecture! Dr. Shawn Larson from the Seattle Aquarium will be presenting “Sea Otter Conservation and Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration.” This event is live at The Whale Museum and streaming on YouTube, and is free and open to the public!

Dr. Shawn Larson will take attendees on a journey of sea otter recovery from the maritime fur trade to what we have learned about their role in nearshore ecosystem stabilization and restoration. As sea otters have recovered from near extinction we have discovered that where sea otters occur the nearshore is more productive and has more biodiversity. There is more kelp, more fish, more invertebrates and is more stable and resilient to climate change, warmer and more acidic waters. Washington state now boasts a thriving sea otter population and their presence supports a wide array of plants and animals.

Dr Shawn Larson received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Science. Shawn is the Senior Conservation Research Manager at the Seattle Aquarium. Shawn has been working with sea otters for 30 years focusing on sea otter reproduction, population genetics, diet characteristics, nearshore ecology, and most recently the sea otter’s role in mitigating climate change. She also leads the aquariums wildlife rehabilitation response and oiled wildlife response planning. Dr. Larson has organized and run the Sea Otter Conservation Workshop in Seattle since 1999 and is the Deputy Chair and the Sea Otter Species Coordinator for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission’s Otter Specialist Group.

You may also like the following events from The Whale Museum:

• This month, 17th September, 07:00 pm, From Scent Dogs to Drones: Research Driving Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery in Friday Harbor

Also check out other Workshops in Friday Harbor.