CENTRAL COAST, Calif. -- Researchers collected and tagged threatened sea otters along the Central Coast. The group of scientists are studying the sea otters' habits and behaviors to examine what is causing their dwindling populations.
The six U.S. Geological Survey researchers are also comparing the sea otters along the Cambria, Port San Luis and Morro Bay areas to site differences between the species and to see whether seismic testing has any negative impacts on the sea otter population.
This is study is partly funded by PG&E. PG&E dedicates $8 million dollars to various monitoring programs, one of which monitors sea otters.
The company confirms that if after the study there are death's to sea otters or sever negative impacts to the population, then that would be grounds to shut down the seismic surveys.
Commercial fishermen and whale activists have tried for months to push PG&E to stop the seismic testing off the waters near Diablo Canyon.
Researchers from the Monterey bay aquarium are collecting and tagging sea otters may for the past two weeks
"To study the health of the threatened sea otter population. To understand the factors that are limiting their recovery. So that we would be in a position to monitor any adverse affects of the seismic testing," says UCGS Researcher Tim Tinker.
The otters are swabbed for genetic samples and tagged with radio signals. So that during and after the 12 days of testing from mid-November to December.
Researchers can monitor the way they eat, behave and reproduce extending that study over the next 2 to 3 years
The control group of otters are located in the Cambria area and will be compared to sea otters in the Diablo canyon area.
"Then we can compare with the health and survival and re productivity of the animals in the areas that might be affected with seismic areas with that up here in Cambria where they won't be affected and if we see any difference we will be able to attribute it to an effect to the seismic surveys," says Tinker.
PG&E is still deciding on its onshore seismic testing, the placement of ocean-bottom seismometers and next year's 3D seismic analysis that takes place up and down the coast.
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife anything that causes death of one sea otter know as "lethal take" could be grounds to stopping the seismic surveys.
