A recent story has been gaining traction about a new study showing there could be economic benefits to the reintroduction of sea otters to the Oregon Coast. We believe the story has downplayed the potential for negative impacts to the economy, and for our fishermen.

Sea otters weigh between 35 and 90 pounds, and must eat 25% of their body weight — each day — to survive. Like many Oregonians, they love Dungeness crab.

In the 1960s, Alaska reintroduced about 400 sea otters to southeast Alaska. In 2000, that number had grown to an estimated 12,000. By 2012, there were an estimated 27,500 sea otters calling southeast Alaska home. Commercial fishermen there have been battling to find some balance ever since.

So, you have a population of these voracious eaters that is growing at a rate of 12%  annually, unchecked. That kind of growth here could have a significant impact on the recreational crabbing industry, and a commercial crabbing industry that has brought in over a half a billion dollars to the state’s economy, just over the past four seasons.

This is just a quick glance at why we believe there is still much work to be done, and many more questions to be answered before Elakha Alliance can say that some benefits are enough to outweigh others, and reintroduction should go forward.

As other communities have found out, this could create one major problem that could become exceedingly difficult to try and solve later.

TIM NOVOTNY

Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission

Coos Bay