BACKGROUND OMEGA is an integrated aquatic system to produce biofuels, treat and recycle wastewater, capture CO2, and expand aquaculture production. This system includes floating photobioreactors (PBRs) that will cover hundreds of hectares in marine bays. To assess the interactions of marine mammals and birds with PBRs, 9 × 1.3 m flat panel and 9.5 × 0.2 m tubular PBRs were deployed in a harbor ...

The Snout Otter Clam, Lutraria philippinarum is a regularly harvested bivalve species for food and also as a source of income in the Philippines. For sustainable supply of this resource in the wild, efficient and effective management strategies are needed, and the evaluation of its reproductive biology and fishery are required. In this study, the reproductive biology and fishery of L. philippin...

Although the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a complete aquatic species, spending its entire life in the ocean, it has been considered morphologically to be a semi-aquatic animal. This study aimed to clarify the unique hindlimb morphology and functional adaptations of E. lutris in comparison to other Mustelidae species. We compared muscle mass and bone measurements of five Mustelidae species: the...

From 1938 to 1972, the range of California sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) expanded with the northern and southern fronts spreading at rates of approximately 1.4 km/yr and 3.1 km/yr, respectively. J. A. Lubina and S. A. Levin proposed the following three factors to explain the large disparity in spread rates: (1) regional differences in dispersal; (2) regional differences in population growt...

Concentrations of PCBs, DDTs (p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDT), HCHs (a-, b-, g-isomers), chlordanes (trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor and oxychlordane) and HCB (hexachlorobenzene were measured in liver, kidney and brain tissues of adult southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) found stranded along coastal California, USA, during 1992±96. The contamination patte...

We investigated the relative roles of natural factors and shoreline harvest leading to recent declines of the black leather chiton (Katharina tunicata) on the outer Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (U.S.A.). This intertidal mollusk is a strongly interacting grazer and a culturally important subsistence fishery for Sugpiaq (Chugach Alutiiq) natives. We took multiple approaches to determine causes of decl...

Age at first reproduction (AFR) has been difficult to quantify in mammals, as the most commonly used methods require reproductive tracts or direct observations. However, work in several large mammal species suggests that the width of cementum light bands in teeth decline once females begin to reproduce, suggesting that teeth structures might provide a new tool to examine AFR. To determine if ch...

Since 1999, the Alaska SeaLife Center has routinely screened live marine animals found in distress, and those found dead, for fecal pathogens (e.g., Salmonella, E. coli 0157, Campylobacter, Vibrio spp.) and exposure to a variety of diseases known to affect marine mammals and/ or humans (e.g., Brucella, Morbillivirus, Leptospirosis, Herpesvirus). Additionally, projects investigating wild populat...

The new research reported in this special issue of Fisheries Oceanography expands our understanding of the Aleutian Archipelago ecosystem. Yet our knowledge remains very limited, while the use of this ecosystem for commercial activities, recreation and other purposes expands. Given this situation, how can we sustain the ecosystem services (food, fuel, fibers as well as spiritual, recreational, ...

Prehistoric exploitation of marine mammals in the northeastern Pacific has been a subject of considerable attention since 1992 when Hildebrandt and Jones used an optimal foraging model to argue that when congregated in rookeries, seals and sea lions represent highly attractive resources vulnerable to overpredation. Using archaeofaunal data from sites along the Oregon and California coasts they ...