Sea otters are adorable but they are much more important than their looks. They are indicators of a changing ocean. Two years ago, while in Homer Alaska, I photographed dozens of sea otters that slowly died from paralytic shell fish poisoning. 79 died in one month alone. I could post the video here but it would rip your heart out as it did mine while I filmed them slowly dying over the course of minutes and hours. The water warmed over 3.5 degrees F in 2014/2015 and with that slight increase in temperature, many species started to suffer. It is much more than protecting the cute and the cuddly. We must protect entire ecosystems from the microbial life to the megafauna. How do we do that? We must find a way to decrease a global carbon footprint. What are your thoughts?
