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Special information about seaweeds and
sea otters near Commander Islands - Kamchatka region,
Russia (by field expedition 2004).
Dr. Vladimir Sevostianov
President of the Commander Islands & BC
Nature Protection and Conservation Association, (Canada
- Russia)
Web Site: http://home.comcast.net/~mishkabear/island/
E-Mail: seaotter3@hotmail.com, seaotter@ratrunner.com
P.O. Box 5482, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8R 6S4
Introduction:
Like an Alaska sea otters' disappearance a mystery, the
huge fields of kelp ( Alaria Fistulosa mainly) disappearance
in a mystery too near Commander Islands in 2003/2004.
What it means for the sea otter's population, which still
rather stable around the Islands? What role the sea weeds
play in Commander Islands Ecosystem? It's questions, which
have to attract many scientists in the next future.
Methods:
Our material has been gathered by field observing. As
we did more then fifteen years ago we are paying more
attention to the general condition of the marine ecosystem
by mapping the kelp at on the surface of the ocean (mainly
contained in gigantic form of the sea weeds - Alaria Fistulosa)
by Zodiac and walking stationary observation from bay
to bay, public questioning and co-operation with local
people and organizations.
Materials:
For the beginning, let's have a look, for example, to
the typical ecotope of the sea otters during the spring-summer
and fall period of their life…
" Special attention we have to pay to the field
of kelp (Alaria Fistulisa - gigantic form of the sea weeds),
which allow to the sea otters to have a rest. Those fields
almost totally surrounded of the Islands and in many places
they measure for big distance and huge capacity"
(Barabash-Nikiforov, Marakov, Nikolaev, 1968).
Of course, many others scientist did some research work
with the sea weeds on the Commander and all of them emphasize
that by biodiversity and biomass the Commander Islands
one of the most unique area in the World (Kardakova-Pregenceva,
1938; Zinova, 1940;). Also, the biomass of seaweeds was
rather stable and maybe it was one of the factors, which
allow living on the Commander another gigantic form of
life - Steller Sea Cow!
According to the past evidences and research works those
situation with seaweeds near Commander were stable at
list from 1932 to 1975).
In all of that reasons and by initiative of Dr, Konstantin
Sidorov, Dr. Mihail Pereladov and me, we did some details
research work the seaweeds around the Commander Islands
from 1981 to 1986 (mapping the fields of kelp; underwater
checking and weighing the biomass, checking the stormy
venting on the shore).
As a result, the whole biomass of the gigantic form of
the seaweeds was around five million tons. Mainly Alaria
Fistulosa. The part of Laminariae sp. was found around
fife thousand tons. ( Pereladov, Sidorov, 1987).
" The width of sea weeds around the Islands was
almost total as a belt and stretching from the offshore
to the ocean about one few hundred miters till one mile
and even more. It was the clear picture especially from
the Bering sea side of the Islands." ( Sidorov, 1987
a,b).
Before and after we did some surface monitoring of the
kelp and distribution of the sea otters groups. For years
we never ever noticed the big changes.
Amazingly, by my field expedition 2004 (August - September)
we fond completely opposite but another accurate account.
. The huge fields of kelp have almost disappeared around
the Commander Islands. The stormy venting of Alaria Fistulosa
extremely poor. We checked only small remainders of the
fields (diameter not more then twenty miters and some
lonely thalluses).
Discussion:
Without any doubt the sea weeds, including the gigantic
form of Alaria Fistulosa, Laminariae sp. and etc. are
important component of marine ecosystem and have a long
term of influence to the under water fauna - invertebrates
and fish. Some of them are the part of diet of the sea
otters (sea urchins, mussels, crabs and fish).
One of the reason for the disappearance of the wide kelp
field near Commander Islands might have its cause in the
strong and highly stormy weather, which particularly occurred
on the Commander Islands in winter 2002/2003.
According to the local weather forecast the speed of
wind on 27-28th December was around 50 meters per second.
Almost the same was in 5th of March. In that time the
level of tide at the ocean was really low. All of those
factors, damaged without any doubt the roots of see weeds
catastrophically.
Another ones and probably more important still in mystery,
at list for me.
Conclusion:
Anyway, this means that the natural ecosystem has lost
some important protection components. It is really vital,
especially for the sea otters. Everybody knows, that the
fields of kelp on the Commander Islands are very necessary
places, which allow these animals to escape the stormy
winds and waves, have a rest, normal communication and
breeding activity between ones, keep the pubs better and
protect themselves from natural predators (sometimes Orcas).
Of course, these circumstances have also caused a lot
of changes in the whole marine ecosystem by some feeding
changes moving in different, bad known directions.
Even though, the number of the sea otter's population
on the Commander is almost stable (around 4 500 - 5000
animals), we expect some noticeable changes in the next
future. Probably it will be a big decrease of the local
population. How many in numbers and in which period of
time? Will be their catastrophic drop or rather natural
fluctuations? All these are the questions, which require
a more detailed investigation by field observation work
and simply protection the sea otters from illegal hunting.
Especially in winter/summer time 2005 and 2006. Hopefully,
Commander Biosphere Reserve, some scientists and Russian
Fish&Wildlife Service, will do this. Unfortunately,
all of them do not have enough means and money for those
goals.
For the end of this paper, I would like to thank the
head of BCC Alexey Zimenko; the head of local Fish&Wildlife
Service Vladimir Fomin; the staff of the Commander Biosphere
Reserve: Dmitry Petkelev and Sergey Pasenyk; local administration
and mayor Alexander Evstifeev. Only from their strong
supports our expedition was possible and a success.
Literature:
- Barabash-Nikiphorov, Sergey Marakov, Alexander Nikolaev
" Sea otter…" book Russian Academy of Science,
Leningrad, 1968.
- Vladimir Sevostianov "Peculiar of the growth
of the sea otters population near Medniy Islands…"
Biological problems of the North, DVNC, AS USSR, All
Union Simposium, Magadan, 1983.
- Vladimir Sevostianov "The results of studies
sea otters population near Commander Islands from 1979
to 1982", VNIRO, Moscow, 1984
- Vladimir Sevostianov, Alexander Burdin " Population
of the sea otters…" Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, VNIRO,
1987.
- Konstantin Sidorov, Vladimir Sevostianov "Sea
otter population near Commander Islands…"book Rational
Resources Management on the Commander Islands, Moscow
State University, Moscow, 1987.
- Konstantin Sidorov " Commander Islands as a
range of Global ecological monitoring", book Rational
Resources Management on the Commander Islands, Moscow
State University, Moscow, 1987.
- Konstantin Sidorov " Some role of seaweeds (
Alaria Fistulosa) in shoaling ecosystems at the Commander-Kamchatka
regions", "Third All Union conference of marine
biology", 1988.
- Konstantin Sidorov, Vacheslav Zemskiy, Vladimir Sevostianov
" Dynamics of the Commander Islands Ecosystem',
All union marine mammals workshop, Astrahan', 1982.
- Konstantin Sidorov, Michail Pereladov ' ' The perspectives
of the aquaculture development on the Commander Islands',
collection Natural Resources management on the Commander,
Moscow State University, 1987
- Konstantin Sidorov, Vladimir Sevostianov " Sea
otter: state of the population and perspective of keeping
in semi captivity on the Commander Islands", collection
Natural Resources management on the Commander, Moscow
State University, 1987
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