[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:03.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The magnificent coastal waters\Nof British Columbia are home
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.22,0:00:05.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to an abundance\Nof incredible marine wildlife
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.94,0:00:08.21,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: 0,0:00:11.21,0:00:15.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The BC coast is also home\Nto one of the 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: 0,0:00:22.21,0:00:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these endearing animals have\Nfittingly earned the nickname:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.00,0:00:26.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the “old man of the sea”.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.07,0:00:28.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But despite their cute appearance
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.74,0:00:29.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and engaging antics,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.90,0:00:31.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sea otters have actually endured
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.45,0:00:33.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a long dark history in North America,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.78,0:00:36.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,once pushed to the very brink\Nof extinction.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.94,0:00:38.33,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\Nsuccess stories:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.82,0:00:46.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the miraculous recovery\Nof the once-extirpated sea otter
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.39,0:00:48.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the BC coast.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.14,0:00:56.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.55,0:01:03.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sea otters are unique
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.60,0:01:05.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in that they're the smallest member
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.31,0:01:06.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the marine mammal family,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.73,0:01:09.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,yet also the largest member\Nof the weasel family.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.73,0:01:12.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Found around sheltered islands,\Nreefs, fjords, and bays,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.16,0:01:15.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sea otters feed on a variety of seafood,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.20,0:01:18.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including clams, mussels,\Ncrabs 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: 0,0:01:22.50,0:01:23.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with their food on their belly
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.94,0:01:25.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like a picnic spread on a table,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.67,0:01:26.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and remarkably,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.67,0:01:28.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they’re one of the only animals\Nin the world
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.80,0:01:30.54,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,\Ncoastal pacific waters
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.04,0:01:44.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and eat up to 30%
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.08,0:01:46.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of their body weight every single day.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.80,0:01:48.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unlike other marine mammals,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.21,0:01:50.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they don’t actually have a lot of body fat
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.26,0:01:51.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to insulate themselves,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.36,0:01:53.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is why they have one\Nof the thickest fur coats
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.80,0:01:54.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the animal kingdom,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.84,0:01:56.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made up of two types of hair:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.42,0:01:58.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,long, sparse guard hairs
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.34,0:02:02.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and feathery-soft,\Nsuper dense warm underfur.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.88,0:02:06.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unfortunately, it's these beautiful,\Nluxurious coats
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.67,0:02:08.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are the very reason sea otters\Nonce vanished
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.95,0:02:11.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from British Columbia\Nand Canada altogether.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.90,0:02:15.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Before the fur trade began\Nin the early 1800s,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.29,0:02:17.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the world’s sea otter population\Nwas estimated
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.71,0:02:21.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at between 150,000 and 300,000 animals.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.12,0:02:24.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But by the early 1900s,\Njust a century later,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.74,0:02:27.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the population had been totally decimated
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.46,0:02:30.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by our insatiable appetite for their fur
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.62,0:02:32.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and less than 2,000 animals remained.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.44,0:02:34.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Eventually, the sea otter
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.68,0:02:36.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,disappeared from the BC Coast completely
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.19,0:02:38.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The last otter shot
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.30,0:02:41.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and killed off Vancouver Island in 1929.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.22,0:02:44.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The long road to recovery\Nfor our sea otters
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.28,0:02:46.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,began with the combined efforts
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.17,0:02:48.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of federal, state\Nand provincial governments
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.22,0:02:50.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in both Canada and the United States.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.85,0:02:53.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Between 1969 and 1972,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.69,0:02:55.50,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: 0,0:03:00.29,0:03:02.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Amazingly, this reintroduced population
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.17,0:03:05.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,prospered almost immediately\Nin the superb coastal habitat
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.19,0:03:07.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and by 1996,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.25,0:03:11.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had doubled more than 4x\Nto over 1500 otters.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.97,0:03:14.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The stunning initial success\Nof the reintroduction
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.35,0:03:16.25,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: 0,0:03:20.92,0:03:25.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By 2004, the population had\Nexpanded even more dramatically,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.89,0:03:29.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with sea otters found as far south as\NVargas Island in Clayoquot Sound,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.49,0:03:33.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as far north as the northern tip\Nof Vancouver Island
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.08,0:03:35.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at Cape Scott., and as far east as
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.46,0:03:37.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hope Island in Queen Charlotte Strait.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.70,0:03:40.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, sea otters have expanded
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.30,0:03:42.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even further afield in British Columbia
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.54,0:03:44.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and their status has been downgraded
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.25,0:03:46.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from a ‘threatened’ species\Nto one of ‘special concern’.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.87,0:03:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their continued recovery and expansion
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.79,0:03:50.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the West Canadian coast
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.16,0:03:52.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is now considered\None of the most successful
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.96,0:03:55.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mammal reintroductions\Nin Canadian history!
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.10,0:03:58.25,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!