Sea otters rely on kelp in the ocean to provide shelter and sustenance. The marine mammals also help to restore kelp forests, controlling populations of sea urchins that devour the algae.

More sea otters, more kelp. The study looked at changes to the kelp canopy from 1910 to 2016. During this time period, ...

When sea otters were reintroduced along the coastlines of islands in Southern California and British Columbia, researchers saw kelp forests return to areas that were destroyed by sea urchins. But ...

The kelp forest provides food and shelter for thousands of species – including the sea otters. Along with coral reefs, kelp forests only account for 0.1% however, they account for 0.9% of global ...

Working with a team of sea otter researchers at UCSC, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Smith conducted intensive underwater surveys along the Monterey Peninsula over a span ...

When sea otters were reintroduced along the coastlines of islands in Southern California and British Columbia, researchers saw kelp forests return to areas that were destroyed by sea urchins. But ...

Both areas were mostly ‘urchin barrens’ – sites where sea urchins had overgrazed in the absence of sea otters – when the studies began. A group of sea otters are seen in kelp beds in Morro ...

And killer whale youngsters are fond of playing kelp keep-away. But what the southern residents are doing with the kelp ...

How Otters Are Saving Earth’s Underwater Forests. Season 2 Episode 3 | 10m 6s Video has Closed Captions | CC. Sea otters play a vital role in maintaining the balance of sensitive kelp forests.

That can start with healthy kelp forests. Reintroducing sea otters, a once-native species to the Oregon coast, would do just that. Sea otters could, in part, ...

Sea otters help kelp forests recover -- but how fast depends on where they are. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 11, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2025 / 03 / 250303191309.htm.