..fast forward to 9/2/2015 12:32 pm and our viewing is over and we have driven back to the landing to take our skiff back to the float to eat lunch. We had just parked our vehicle and were getting out to walk down the road when we had company. Back into the vehicle until Bella and her three cubs moved across the road and far enough along the beach until it was safe to complete our trip to the float. This took about fifteen minutes but the guests did not seem to mind. They thought it was interesting that we were delayed by grizzlies when we wanted to watch bears and again when we were through watching bears.
Sea Otter Sightings
The last 3 years we have been starting to view sea otters in our area more regularly. They are still often a distance away, but the sightings are increasing with some “rafts” of them developing in areas near the western portion of our whale watching trips. These animals were hunted heavily for their fur and were completely wiped out of British Columbia waters. Re-introduction occurred from Alaskan otters in the 1960’s. They have long been protected and their numbers have been steadily increasing along the exposed BC coast and are now moving back into inside waters. They are unique in that they don’t have the insulating blubber that other marine mammals use to keep warm. As a result they have dense (over 1 million hairs per square inch) fur and feed heavily. They are important in balancing the eco-system. They eat a lot of sea urchins, which eat a lot of kelp. Kelp is extremely important as it provides cover for juvenile fish and is where the herring spawn in the early spring. With the increase in these otters we are seeing a greater abundance and healthier kelp forests.
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