"Toxic Algae Killing Sea Otters"
http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/41767
From: David A Gabel, ENN
Published September 13, 2010 11:06 AM
From: David A Gabel, ENN
Published September 13, 2010 11:06 AM
2009. Copyright Environmental News Network
Summary
There has been a lot of pollutions going around the world, and water pollution is one of the most harmful pollution there is. For example, recently there was the oil spill which polluted the Gulf of Mexico and killed all living animals in the area. However, a group of sea otters were killed in the coast off of California.
What caused this tragedy for these poor animals? Toxin. This toxin was produced by the blue-green algae scientifically known as cyanobacteria. In a journal called "PLoS ONE." there was a report by the California Department of Fish and Game and the University of California that there were over 21 deaths of sea otters recorded because of flowing toxic chemicals in the ocean.
According to co-author Tim Tinker, "These findings also show the value in closely monitoring sentinel species like sea otters as a way to detect and understand threats to coastal oceans."
Blue-algae is not very friendly with any living things because it blocks light from reaching the bottom of the water and take the oxygen from the water. If there is no oxygen, there is no way ocean living animals could survive. Researchers recently found another particular algae called Microcystis which also releases a deadly toxin. This toxin can damage body tissue, fatal to living things, and cause acute liver failure. These listed symptoms were able to be seen from the sea otters. Melissa Miller who was in charge of this research began finding dead sea otters in 2007 when they washed up on the shore of Monterey Bay. Since the toxin came from Microcystis, it lead the group of researchers to track Pinto Lake in Watsonville which was a lake with Microcystis blooms. This body water of washed out into the Monterey Bay which might have caused the otters to die fatally.
How did it get to sea otters? This toxin is eaten by animals such as mussels, oysters, crabs, and clams. These creatures are then eaten by sea otters in which they consume the toxin that their prey had eaten before. This event contributed the decline of sea otters population in California.
Can humans be affected by this? Yes. Researchers show that humans are at risk if they choose eat shellfish that are picked up from mouths of rivers and collected during rainy days. Drinking water from lakes like Pinto is not a good idea either. If there is any kind of exposure to the toxin, there is a possibility of developing liver cancer.
Opinion / Reflection
I didn't even care about sea otters or even other animals in the ocean until I read this article. I thought they would be okay living in the ocean since I didn't hear any news of them recently. I couldn't believe how water pollution can get this big. Even if it started as a Microcystis blooms, it flowed down to river and out into the ocean and just like that the sea otters were killed. It's upsetting to know how the animals have to suffer without knowing the cause of it and I believe that there should be something to prevent events like this happen in the future. From now on, I'm going to be careful of what I throw away and check if there is any toxin in it because it can possilby be flowing in the ocean. Also I will not litter trash and protect people and pets from drinking outside, unfiltered water to protect them from any diseases. In my opinion, the ocean life should be taken care of with more responsibility and research all the things that might put animals in danger. Why is this article important? Because it shows that the humans in this world are not looking after their world and we need to improve in preserving our ecosystems to protect the animals and ourselves from harm.
Questions
How can we be affected by this?
Shouldn't there be a ban on growing those Microcystis blooms to prevent any toxins being released?
What could people have done in the first place?
Are there other animals in the world that are environmentally troubled?
Is there anyway I can reduce water pollution in our world?
Written by Jenny Kim
Opinion
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know that otters were endangered by anything other than something man made! It is surprising what a little plant can do. It can kill the otters, but they couldn't even see it up the road. Since the cause of the algae doesn't really have a person or company to blame, it wouldn't make it in the top headlines in the newspaper. Newspapers and magazines don't care much for what is really important, more for gossip, which is why stories like this, endangered animals, is not emphasized enough in the world. I think the media should be finished with the oil spill and move onto something that is new, and just as dangerous.
Answer to Question #1
Although we aren’t directly affected by it now, we will be affected by the toxins in the future. Since the toxins affect the shellfish in the area it is occupying, we will see how bad it is when we eat a crab or drink the water. We could get sick, or even get cancerous diseases. It is a highly potential threat that should get some attention, but since it is a silent story, many Americans will not know about the toxins until it is too late.
~Katie Abraham
When I think about endangered species, I never really thought about sea otters. Usually I think about whales, tigers, or other animals.
ReplyDeleteI think that if we humans didn't pollute so much, we could have prevented the algaes from killing the otters. If we didn't litter, we would not have these algaes killing living creatures.
This affects us too because many of us love sea food. Humans are affected too because many living creatures are affected. The food chain will be disturbed so our food chain will be affected.
How could we have prevented this?
What can we do to get rid of the algaes?
What can we do to help the algaes from spreading?
From now on, I'm goin to think about where I throw away my trash.
Like james, I usually don't match sea otters with endangered species. We as humans should have been much more careful about what we did and thought of how it would affect other things. Even if we aren't thinking about how it affects the otters, then we could still think about how it affects us as humans. If we eat the contaminated seafood then we could get sick. Most people don't care about the animals, but should still care about themselves enough to do something.
ReplyDelete-->: Water Pollution
ReplyDelete-->: Water Pollution: "'Toxic Algae Killing Sea Otters'http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/41767 From: David A Gabel, ENN Published September 13, 2010 11:06 AM 2..."
I think that they should care more about the problem of the algae toxin in the ocean. The sea otters shouldn't have to be affected by this problem. They don't deserve to die. They need to help save the sea otters so they don't become extinct.
1. Humans can be affected by this problem because if they eat shellfish that comes from the mouth of rivers and is collected on rainy days, they can be exposed to the toxin and develope liver cancer. Also they could develope this from drinking water from certain lakes like Pinto.