Why Does This Cute Guy Have A Lawyer?

Alaskan sea otter are putting on their suits and ties and lining up to go to court. Well, not exactly. But Brent Plater, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, has filed a case seeking to gain them protection under the Endangered Species Act.

According to data from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and from the US Geological Survey, in the past decade the sea otter population has plummeted to fewer than 6,000, a decline of 70 percent.

The Alaskan sea otter used to be hunted for its fur, but this was banned by an international agreement in 1911. Some scientists believe that the main reason sea otter are dying today is because they are being eaten by killer whales, whose main source of food, sea lions, are also shrinking in population.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, one of the country's most important environmental laws, exists to protect a species of animals from becoming extinct, or forever dying off. It does this by allowing the government to charge huge fines to those who kill protected animals and by providing money to restore the animal's habitat.

The Endangered Species Act puts organisms into two categories: "threatened" species and "endangered" species. The "threatened" category exists for species that are losing population, but have not been formally approved as "endangered," or nearing extinction.

The Alaskan sea otter has been listed as "threatened" for over a year, and environmentalists have been lobbying to change its status to "endangered." They demand that this happen as soon as possible.

A year ago, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition, which Plater described as a "document which explains to the government that sea otters are in trouble and asks them to take action." The Endangered Species Act requires the government to approve or disapprove the petition within one year, but the Fish and Wildlife Service never responded to it. During that time, thousands of additional otter died, says Plater.

Mitch Snow, a spokesman for the department, says the reason the department did not respond to the petition sooner is because it is burdened by lawsuits and doesn't have the necessary budget or the manpower: "There have been a host of these lawsuits so much so that the listing program is essentially overwhelmed."

The Center for Biological Diversity, which claims a success rate in over 90% of its cases, filed the suit because it was the only way they believed that a change would be made. "Ultimately, endangered species are in a race against time. When the Bush administration decides to erect roadblocks and create gridlock to prevent the enforcement of existing environmental laws, everybody loses including the sea otter," Plater said.

The Alaskan sea otter, aside from being incredibly cute, has many amazing skills including the ability to use tools, which is unique among mammals. The otter uses its paws to crack open a snail shell and eat the meat inside.

Most importantly, however, the Alaskan sea otter is what scientists call a keystone species, which means that without it, the entire ecosystem would be put out of balance. This is because the Alaskan sea otter eats sea urchins and the sea urchins eat seaweed. If the Alaskan sea otter were to become extinct, there would be too many sea urchins and not enough seaweed for other underwater animals to eat.

According to Plater, the Fish and Wildlife Service has not done its job to stop the sea otter from become extinct. "It appears the Bush administration has partnered with developers and the people who have provided money to their campaigns to get elected and part of their agenda is to rather than protect our species, allow various corporations to exploit them," he said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service denies such accusations. Snow emphasized that the sea otter is already protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a separate animal protection law.

There are currently over 35 lawsuits by environmental organizations against the Fish and Wildlife Service that call for various species to be protected. The sheer number of suits may force a reform of the environmental lawmaking process. A federal judge who has ruled in one such case concluded that if changes are not made, "tax dollars will not be spent on protecting species but on fighting losing battle after losing battle in court."

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Fish and Wildlife Service agree that young people should learn about environmental issues and make a difference. Plater told Nick News that students should visit their web site, biologicaldiversity.org, and contact their local representatives. The Fish and Wildlife Services Department runs a web site to teach kids about the environment at fws.gov/educators/students.html.