[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:02.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The magnificent coastal waters\Nof British Columbia are home
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.57,0:00:05.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to an abundance\Nof incredible marine wildlife
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.62,0:00:08.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including humpback whales,\Nsteller sea lions,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.21,0:00:11.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,orcas, porpoises, and harbour seals.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.21,0:00:13.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The BC coast is also home to one of the
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.46,0:00:15.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most iconic, recognizable
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.62,0:00:17.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and lovable aquatic mammals:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.62,0:00:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the sea otter.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.00,0:00:20.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With its long whiskers and
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.50,0:00:22.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,grizzled facial fur,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.21,0:00:23.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these endearing animals have
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.42,0:00:24.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fittingly earned the nickname:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.75,0:00:26.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the “old man of the sea”.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.67,0:00:28.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But despite their cute appearance
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.21,0:00:29.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and engaging antics,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.62,0:00:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sea otters have actually endured
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.00,0:00:33.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a long dark history in North America,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.50,0:00:36.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,once pushed to the very brink of extinction.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.71,0:00:38.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My name is John E. Marriott,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.33,0:00:40.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this episode, we’re EXPOSING you
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.33,0:00:43.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to one of Canada’s great environmental success stories:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.42,0:00:45.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the miraculous recovery of the
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.25,0:00:47.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,once-extirpated sea otter
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.04,0:00:48.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the BC coast
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.33,0:01:03.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sea otters are unique in that they're
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.75,0:01:05.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the smallest member of the marine mammal family,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.96,0:01:08.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,yet also the largest member of the weasel family.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.92,0:01:12.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Found around sheltered islands, reefs, fjords, and bays,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.62,0:01:14.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sea otters feed on a variety of seafood,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.92,0:01:18.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including clams, mussels, crabs, and sea urchins
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.67,0:01:20.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s not uncommon for sea otters
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.42,0:01:22.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to float around in the water on their back
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.50,0:01:23.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with their food on their belly
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.92,0:01:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like a picnic spread on a table,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.96,0:01:27.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and remarkably, they’re one of the
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.62,0:01:28.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only animals in the world
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.88,0:01:30.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to use tools like we do.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.62,0:01:33.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using rocks and other objects to crack
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.12,0:01:34.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,open their hard-shelled food
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.75,0:01:36.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to get at the yummy stuff inside
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.62,0:01:38.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sea otters require a ton of food
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.88,0:01:42.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to stay warm in the cold, coastal pacific waters
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.04,0:01:44.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and eat up to 30%
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.08,0:01:46.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of their body weight every single day.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.88,0:01:48.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unlike other marine mammals,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.04,0:01:48.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they don’t actually have a lot of
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.92,0:01:50.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,body fat to insulate themselves,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.92,0:01:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is why they have one
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.00,0:01:54.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the thickest fur coats in the animal kingdom,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.12,0:01:56.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made up of two types of hair:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.08,0:01:58.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,long, sparse guard hairs
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.12,0:02:02.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and feathery-soft, super dense warm underfur.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.88,0:02:06.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unfortunately, it's these beautiful, luxurious coats
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.67,0:02:08.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are the very reason sea otters once vanished
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.75,0:02:12.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from British Columbia and Canada altogether.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.50,0:02:15.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Before the fur trade began in the early 1800s,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.29,0:02:17.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the world’s sea otter population was estimated
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.71,0:02:21.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at between 150,000 and 300,000 animals.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.79,0:02:24.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But by the early 1900s, just a century later,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.54,0:02:27.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the population had been totally decimated
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.46,0:02:29.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by our insatiable appetite for their fur
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.75,0:02:32.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and less than 2,000 animals remained.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.67,0:02:34.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Eventually, the sea otter
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.42,0:02:36.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,disappeared from the BC Coast completely
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.67,0:02:38.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The last otter shot
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.21,0:02:41.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and killed off Vancouver Island in 1929.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.71,0:02:43.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The long road to recovery for our sea otters
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.83,0:02:45.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,began with the combined efforts of
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.79,0:02:48.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,federal, state, and provincial governments
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.04,0:02:50.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in both Canada and the United States.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.33,0:02:53.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Between 1969 and 1972,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.08,0:02:55.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,89 sea otters from Alaska
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.50,0:02:57.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were released in Checleset Bay
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.38,0:02:59.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.71,0:03:02.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Amazingly, this reintroduced population
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.17,0:03:04.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,prospered almost immediately in the superb coastal
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.71,0:03:07.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,habitat and by 1996,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.25,0:03:11.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had doubled more than 4x to over 1500 otters.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.25,0:03:14.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The stunning initial success of the reintroduction
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.21,0:03:16.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,led the federal government to downgrade
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.25,0:03:18.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the sea otters’ status as a species at risk
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.67,0:03:20.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from ‘endangered’ to ‘threatened’.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.92,0:03:23.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By 2004, the population had
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.25,0:03:25.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,expanded even more dramatically,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.17,0:03:27.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with sea otters found as far south as
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.71,0:03:29.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Vargas Island in Clayoquot Sound,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.79,0:03:32.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as far north as the northern tip of Vancouver Island
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.88,0:03:35.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at Cape Scott., and as far east as
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.46,0:03:38.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hope Island in Queen Charlotte Strait.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.08,0:03:40.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, sea otters have expanded even
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.17,0:03:42.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,further afield in British Columbia and their
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.12,0:03:44.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,status has been downgraded from a
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.08,0:03:46.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,‘threatened’ species to one of ‘special concern’.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.67,0:03:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their continued recovery and expansion
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.79,0:03:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the West Canadian coast
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.00,0:03:52.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is now considered one of the most
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.04,0:03:55.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,successful mammal reintroductions in Canadian history!
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.25,0:03:58.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this astonishing success story doesn’t end there:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.25,0:04:00.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sea otters are known as a ‘keystone species’
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.96,0:04:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,meaning that even a small number of them can have
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.00,0:04:06.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a dramatic effect on shaping healthy ecosystems.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.12,0:04:09.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we look back at when sea otters were eradicated,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.21,0:04:11.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rocks and reefs quickly became overrun with
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.67,0:04:14.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dense populations of sea urchins and
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.33,0:04:17.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these sea urchins in turn wiped out the kelp forests
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.33,0:04:20.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are so critical to our ocean’s health,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.33,0:04:23.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,essentially removing the ‘rainforests of the sea’
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.33,0:04:27.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so called because of the kelp forests’ ability to provide
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.33,0:04:30.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,food, shelter, oxygen and
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.17,0:04:33.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a nursery environment for a wide variety of sea life
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.83,0:04:35.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So with sea otters reintroduced and
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.75,0:04:37.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reoccupying their former habitat
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.58,0:04:40.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and resuming their crucial role in the ecology
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.58,0:04:42.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of BC’s coastal ecosystems,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.92,0:04:45.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the environmental spin-off has been remarkable:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.21,0:04:47.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the out-of-control sea urchin populations
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.46,0:04:49.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have been brought back under contrtol,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.21,0:04:50.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the kelp forests have
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.79,0:04:54.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,returned and flourished, completely reshaping our coast
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.12,0:04:56.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a wonderful way.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.75,0:04:59.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Despite the success of their reintroduction,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.33,0:05:01.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sea otters continue to face a number of threats.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.83,0:05:04.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The most serious is from environmental contaminants
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.67,0:05:05.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like oil spills
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.96,0:05:08.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oil spills are catastrophic for sea otters
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.54,0:05:11.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their fur loses its buoyancy and insulating capabilities
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.96,0:05:14.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the otters end up dying from exposure.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.92,0:05:16.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those otters that do survive initially,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.83,0:05:19.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,end up inhaling and ingesting oil
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.25,0:05:20.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when they groom their oil-slicked fur
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.92,0:05:22.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,causing even more deaths.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.96,0:05:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not surprisingly, the sea otter populations
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.96,0:05:28.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,took almost three decades to recover from
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.46,0:05:31.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Exxon-Valdez spill off the coast of Alaska.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.12,0:05:33.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For these reasons
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.54,0:05:35.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's critical that we continue to protect
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.92,0:05:36.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sea otter habitat
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.92,0:05:38.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and continue to monitor and reduce
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.79,0:05:42.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the risk of oil spills along the BC coast.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.12,0:05:43.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks for watching everyone,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.71,0:05:45.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we really appreciate the support!
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.50,0:05:46.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Please let us know what you thought
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.62,0:05:48.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the episode in the comments below,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.50,0:05:50.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and don’t forget to subscribe
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.12,0:05:51.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and click that little notification bell
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.75,0:05:53.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so you don't miss our next episode
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.96,0:05:57.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks everyone, see you soon!