Nordic Quest

Sea Otter in SE Alaska–Good or Bad Reintroduction?

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Fred Cooper

Sea otters are loved by out-of-state boaters and other tourists because they are cute and curious, furry little things and a rare sight. Guests on my boat first spot something floating and then get excited watching them float on their backs, preening their fur or simply in the act of eating whatever they grabbed off the bottom.

Re-introduced to SE Alaska in the 1960s, the sea otter seemed to be a welcome return to the ecosystem and their population remained fairly low for many years. Their birthrate is typically one pup per season and they live an average of 10-12 years. The sea otter is one of the smaller marine mammals with an adult male being five feet in length and weighing 60 to 70 pounds. The females are smaller.

Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) lounge around in Idaho Inlet, photo by Andrew Cooper

The population throughout SE Alaska is now estimated at about 25,000 and their range has been mainly along the outer coast and some interior areas like the west end of Icy Strait and Glacier Bay. Quite a bit of study has been conducted on the Glacier Bay population of sea otter and their impact on the bay’s ecosystem since the number of sea otter has grown from five animals in 1995 to over 8,000 in 2012. Park Rangers believe the peak in population still hasn’t been reached. Brendan Kelly, a marine mammal scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has projected a population increase of twenty percent per year.

As cute as these little marine mammals are, their current growth in numbers and impact on what they eat are generating considerable concern amongst both the general public and commercial fishing industry. Internet forums and blogs are full of comments about their impact on Dungeness crab, King crab and sea urchin populations. Sea otter have an insatiable appetite for abalone and sea urchins but they also eat crab and sea cucumbers. Because they lack body fat like seals, sea lions or Orca, they need to eat at least one quarter of their body weight. As a result, an adult sea otter foraging in an area that is good Dungeness crab habitat, can kill and consume 15-20 crab per day.

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Posted in Alaskan History, Fishing, Wildlife | Tagged Dungeness crab, Glacier Bay National Park, Sea Otter | Leave a comment

Photo of the Week – Reid Glacier

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Andrew Cooper

A stream flowing from Reid Glacier, Pentax 6×7 film camera, Ilford FP4 film, photo by Randy Zelick

Posted in Photo of the Week, Places | Tagged glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Reid Glacier | Leave a comment

How to Avoid huge Ships

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Andrew Cooper

How to Avoid Huge Ships by Captain John W. Trimmer

I understand this book is meant to be serious, written by a merchant captain who has probably had too many close calls with small pleasure craft. No surprise here, aboard the NQ we have had plenty of experience in getting out of the way of floating cites with names like Princess X or something-dam.

Perhaps the title could have been better chosen. Read the Amazon reviews, they are hilarious, along the lines of the infamous Hutzler 571 banana slicer.

Seriously, read the reviews!

Posted in Cruising | Leave a comment

Photo of the Week – Cruising at Sunset

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Andrew Cooper

Still underway as the sun sets, a bit further to go for our anchorage

Posted in Cruising, Photo of the Week | Tagged cruising, sunset | Leave a comment

Russell Island Adventure

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Fred Cooper

One of the nice things about getting an entry permit to Glacier Bay National Park is the fact that it’s not going to be crowded with other visitors. Yes, there can be two large cruise ships every day steaming up to the glaciers and back out. But there are a lot of hidden gems that the cruise ships never get to see.

One of these is the back side of Russell Island as you approach Tarr Inlet. Cruise this little channel and your odds of sighting wildlife increase immensely. I have seen brown bear and mountain goats almost every time I use it. There is also the possibility of seeing moose grazing on one of the outwash plains or a lone wolf trotting along the shoreline. While you want to scan the cliffs for goats, they can also be seen right at sea level as they like to lick salt off the rocks and seaweed.

Nautical Chart for Russel Island, note the reef off the northern end

On the mainland side the cliffs go up over 3,000 feet but the shoreline is broken up by glacial streams. There can be surprise around every little point. I like to cruise it north to south for that very reason getting as close to the north shore as I can. There’s a reef off the north end of Russell Island to be avoided but he rest of the route is easy to navigate. It takes some concentration because the depth shallows quickly off the outwash plains and there are some charted rocks close to shore.

Another great wildlife viewing area along the eastern shore is the area around Gloomy Knob. The knob is not marked on the standard nautical charts, but is well marked on the standard park service map just north of Tidal Inlet. Once you are along this shoreline make sure you check out both areas for bear and mountain goats.