October 8, 2001 Two sea otters join conservation research project at Long Marine Lab By Tim Stephens Two male sea otters rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium will be helping UCSC researchers as they try to understand the relationship between otters' nutritional needs and the long-term survival of this threatened species. Sea otters Morgan (above) and Wick (below) will help UCSC researchers learn more about the nutritional needs of sea otters in the wild. Trainer Traci Fink has taught Wick to begin and end dives under a dome used to measure his oxygen consumption during dives. Morgan, who arrived at LML in September, is just beginning the training he'll need for the research project. Photos: Tim Stephens One of the two new research animals is six-year-old Morgan, who was implicated in the deaths of several harbor seal pups in the wild before he was recaptured by aquarium researchers in April 2001. He had lived in the wild for nearly five years before the problem behavior developed. He was transferred to his new home at the California Department of Fish and Game's Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center next to Long Marine Lab on Friday, September 21. The second animal, named Wick, was transferred to the research center in April 2001. He was brought into the aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation program (SORAC) as a week-old pup in February 2000. He was unable, after seven months in the program and more than 100 ocean swims with SORAC caregivers, to return to life in the wild. The otters are being trained to take part in a research project directed by Terrie Williams, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and graduate student Laura Yeates. They are being housed in separate seawater pools at the marine wildlife center, which shares some of its research facilities with UCSC scientists. The researchers are studying the amount of energy otters expend diving for food--food they need to maintain a high body temperature in chilly Pacific waters. Lacking a layer of insulating blubber, sea otters eat one-quarter of their body weight daily to stay warm. If they expend too much energy searching for food, it could compromise their ability to survive. "The basic challenge for sea otters is keeping that warm furry body going in a cold marine environment," said Williams, who holds the Ida Benson Lynn Chair in Ocean Health. The scientists will be measuring the otters' rate of oxygen consumption, an indicator of energy expenditure, as they dive and retrieve weighted objects. To do this, the animals must be trained to begin and end their dives beneath a floating Plexiglas dome. Wick is well along in his training, while Morgan is just getting started, said Brett Long, head trainer at Long Marine Lab. The researchers will also be studying how the otters' body temperatures respond to different types and amounts of food. Both Wick and Morgan carry radio transmitters that enable the researchers to remotely monitor their body temperatures. Research on the captive sea otters will complement studies of sea otters in the wild, Williams said. About 40 wild sea otters have been outfitted with radio transmitters and temperature monitors. The research project represents a collaboration among state and federal wildlife agencies, the university, and the nonprofit aquarium, working together and making efficient use of their resources to advance sea otter conservation, Williams said. "This is a great solution for these two animals," said Andrew Johnson, the aquarium's sea otter program manager. "They're getting lots of stimulation and contact with people through their training program, and they'll be shedding light on an important factor affecting sea otter survival in the wild." Return to Front Page