Save the World: Save the Sea Otters During the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters were hunted for their luxurious fur, and in the early 1900s it was believed that the species was extinct in California. (Carswell) Why do we care, you ask, well not only are they super cute and eat with their hands. Apparently, a healthy population of sea otters keeps the sea urchin population in check. An unhealthy or small population of sea otters causes sea urchin numbers to explode, thus decimating kelp beds, which are the sea urchins' food source, and causing a "chain reaction that depletes food supplies for other marine animals, consequently causing their decline. (Kuipers)Fortunately, as the years went by Californians began to find sea otters wandering the water again. Slowly but surely the population was growing in these recovering areas, but southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis), also known as California sea otters, were listed as threatened in 1977 under the Endangered Species Act. (Carswell) There are a number of reasons why sea otters have come close to extinction. For years, poachers have hunted these animals and slaughtered them to obtain extraordinary water-resistant coats. In 1900, a treaty was signed to protect all sea otters, and even after Japan withdrew from the treaty, Canada and the United States continued to maintain it. Even after the poaching ended, the pollution continued. Sea otters find themselves submerged in giant oil spills caused by tankers. When oil seeps into their fur, it is no longer water resistant, so most sea otters die because they freeze to death. If they are found in warmer parts of the world, such as California, the oil causes death from its toxins when the otters try to clean themselves. Oil spills and waste in the water cause tons of marine deaths every year. How can we start saving sea otters? Well, I think we should start by strictly regulating oil tankers, perhaps always carrying fish and game on boats to stop some accidents or spills. We also need to find a way to stop people from throwing waste into our waterways. I was perhaps thinking of closing the passages along the road so that adults and children don't even have the opportunity to throw waste into these waterways.