Actually that is a really great question. When we bought our boat in '93 we had been spending significant time around Kodiak for many years. Early on sea otters were rare as a result of overhunting for the Russian fur trade. By the time we bought our boat the otters were common. Surprisingly enough the otters are the primary control on almost all species in the area, including bears. One anthropologist has theorized they were the single greatest check on human populations, too.Originally Posted by herefishy
Sea otters eat sea urchins and will clean them out of any place they are found. Sea urchins nibble the holdfasts on kelp causing the kelp to grow lots of extras. The extra holdfasts produce kelp better able to handle storms and rough weather. Without urchins kelp beds shrink. We drove past a former kelp bed at Three Brothers Rock just west of Ouzinkie (you-zinc'-ee) that used to cover several square miles. Fifteen years ago you could easily count 500 otters at a time. Now there are virtually none.
The otters have moved on to other areas looking for food.
With the death of the kelp bed the other animals that rely on kelp are hurting. Herring spawn on kelp fronds; young fish hide in the kelp until they grow large enough to handle open ocean; many birds rely on kelp beds for feeding; and the list goes on.
Sea otters also eat every trace of food in a given area, often completely eliminating clam beds and mussle shoals. Sea duck populations around Kodiak are a tiny fraction of what they were 20 years ago.
Now, after all my rambling here is the answer to your question. Land mammals on Kodiak that do not hibernate rely on the beaches for food. Deer eat the washed up kelp to help get through the winter. There has been little kelp the last few years coupled with heavy snow and the winterkill has been horrible. Foxes used to be incredibly common, now they are literally rare. Many bears, especially huge old boars used to go through winters without hibernating because they could eat all winter on the beaches. Now they cannot and virtually all hibernate. By hibernating they lose out on potential growth for that season.
Right now there is very little for bears to eat on the mountainsides. They are on the beaches waiting on some grass and skunk cabbage to start feeding on, while hoping something washes up for lunch.
Kodiak brown bear are extremely good at catching fish and fighting one another... They do not do much "hunting" of anything. There are no marmots or ground squirrels for them to dig up. They are built for strength and power, not speed... But trying to outrun one might be a real bad idea!
Sorry for the long-winded answer, but the whole story (or rather the brief but biased view I just gave) I find really interesting and hope you do not mind digging through it.
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