Pacific Nearshore Project: Catching Sea Otters in the Wild

How do you catch a sea otter? Very carefully. Researchers must use high-tech equipment and teamwork in order to safely capture these marine mammals and collect blood samples and conduct health exams as part of the Pacific Nearshore Project. The Pacific Nearshore Project is a multinational, multiagency project investigating sea otters as health indicators of coastal waters and marine resources from California north through Canada and Alaska. The project being conducted by researchers from an integrated partnership of world-class research institutions led by USGS. Learn more at http://on.doi.gov/nearshore.