Aj. Brody et al., POTENTIAL IMPACT OF OIL-SPILLS ON CALIFORNIA SEA OTTERS - IMPLICATIONS OF THE EXXON-VALDEZ SPILL IN ALASKA, Marine mammal science, 12(1), 1996, pp. 38-53
Based on the survival of sea otters held at rehabilitation centers dur
ing the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, we built two models of
otter mortality. One was based on the relationship between mortality a
nd distance from spill origin, the other was based on the relationship
between mortality and time from the spill origin. These models are si
mplistic and are meant as first steps in arriving at realistic risk es
timates and in providing a conceptual framework for relating oil spill
s and sea otter mortality. Using the distance model, we simulated the
impact of an Exxon Valdez event occurring at different locations along
the California coast. A spill at the Monterey Peninsula had the great
est impact, exposing 90% of the California sea otter population to oil
and killing at least 50% of the individuals. The time model was used
to predict the mortality of otters exposed to oil of various ages and
for various periods of time. It suggested that efforts to rehabilitate
otters should be discontinued 20-30 d after a spill. The limitations
of the data available from the Exxon Valdez spill emphasize the import
ance of being prepared to conduct appropriate research during the next
oil spill in sea otter habitat.