THE SEA OTTER IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 167 



1936 '37 '39 '43 '49 '53'54 '57 '59 '62 '65 



YEAR OF COUNT AND ESTIMATE 



Figure 78. — Populations of sea otters at several Aleutian Islands have in- 

 creased to maximum size and then crashed between 1936 and 1965. Esti- 

 mates of otters per square mile of habitat (waters within the 30-fathom 

 curve), which are based on extensive field counts, are shown as dots which 

 are connected by solid lines. Observations of "few," or "many," or 

 "thousands" are shown by question marks and connected by broken lines. 

 (For data, see tables 21-29.) Population peaks apparently occurred between 

 aerial surveys at Adak and Kagalaska Islands. 



from wind and rough water in storms. This habitat apparently- 

 attracted the occasional otter that wandered eastward from the 

 large population in the western Andreanofs, causing the colony 

 to form and to be augmented by further immigration. In the 1959 

 to 1962 period, the colony increased by 86 percent and between 

 1962 and 1965 by 375 percent. Repopulation of the north side of 

 Atka had not begun in 1965. 



Amlia Island. — It is 40 miles long, has no human inhabitants 

 and except near the west end is seldom visited by the Aleutian 

 natives of nearby Atka Village. The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Sur- 

 vey has not as yet (1965) issued a chart showing soundings of 

 Amlia's inshore waters. The area of sea otter feeding habitat (table 

 25) was estimated on the basis of measurements taken at Atka 

 because the two islands appear similar. 



Vague reports that I received from the hunters of Atka during 

 the 1940's and 1950's indicated that a small number of sea otters 



