Sea Otters Prevent Kelp Deforestation

Posted by Rachel Goodman | Mar 19, 2021 | All Talk, Outdoors, Rachel Anne Goodman, Science, Talk of the Bay | 0

Talk of the Bay from KSQD

Sea Otters Prevent Kelp Deforestation

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A new study out of UCSC shows that sea otters are preventing further collapse of a threatened ecosystem: The kelp forests in Monterey Bay. Elsewhere in California, the story is not so rosy with 95% of the kelp forests gone in the past few years. In this interview with study author, Joshua Smith, he talks about the balance between predators and prey, and the impact of ocean heat waves on the creatures in the bay.

About The Author

Rachel Goodman

Rachel is host of Talk of the Bay and Board Chair of KSQD. She is the producer of radio documentaries such as Southern Songbirds: The Women of Early Country and Old Time Music, The Boomtown Chronicles, and Pastures of Plenty, a History of California Farmworkers. She teaches journalism at Cabrillo College in Aptos. She is a recipient of a Peabody award for excellence in journalism.