Patterns and Processes of Population Change in Selected Nearshore Vertebrate Predators. EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report. (Restoration Project 030423)

摘要

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) and harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) are two species for which there was strong evidence that (1) population recovery from the spill had not occurred by 1998, (2) hydrocarbon exposure was higher in oiled areas of Prince William Sound than in unoiled areas, and (3) demographic differences between areas, particularly survival, were a likely mechanism explaining lack of full recovery. This study was initiated to continue to track the progress of population recovery and to more closely examine links between demography and oil exposure toward understanding the process of population change.