Dive fishermen and sea otters face complex competition

What many Americans consider to be a cute, back-floating mammal is a pest, even a thief, to some Southeast Alaskan fishermen.
A sea otter floats on its back. (Photo by Theresa Soley/KTOO)
Humans and sea otters enjoy consuming the same bottom-dwelling seafood: Dungeness crabs, clams, sea cucumbers and urchins. Competition between dive fishermen and sea otters for those resources has intensified as the otter population grows.
Wadley has been a commercial sea cucumber diver for 27 years. She dove f