A sea otter diving in a kelp forest in Monterey Bay, California. Francois Gohier / VW Pics / Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California have linked sea otters to healthy kelp forests off the West Coast.
According to a new study published in the journal PLOS Climate, the recovery of Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) in central California happened at the same time that kelp forests in the same region had significant increases from 1910 to 2016. At the same time, northern and southern California experienced kelp forest losses, and these were also areas where sea otters were heavily hunted nearly…
Read the full article originally published at www.ecowatch.com.