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Elkhorn Slough reopens after the Moss Landing battery storage fire. Are the sea otters OK?

ELKHORN SLOUGH, Calif. (KION-TV) -- With the Elkhorn Slough reopening Wednesday, researchers expressed concern over pollution and toxins to Sea Otters after the Moss Landing battery plant fire last week.

Worries over long-term effects on wildlife in the area is prompting extensive research throughout the reserve.

"My biggest concern is that it's what you don't see, the chemicals and particles that go up into the air and we don't know how long they will stay in the soil and then in the water," said Elkhorn Slough volunteer Juana Ventura. "We don't really know long term what that could cause for the wildlife and for people."

After almost one week of being closed, the Elkhorn Slough reserve has been reopened, prompting some visitor and scientist concerns over what may be lingering in the air and water from the Moss Landing battery fire.

"We have been monitoring crews for two full days since the fire [and] have not noticed anything alarming that's visible to the eye," said UC Santa Cruz researcher Lilian Carswell. "We haven't noticed any acute effects on sea otters. We haven't noticed any odd behavior."

UC Santa Cruz researchers have been diligently tracking the sea otters, still concerned about the potential long-term smoke effects being inhaled or ingested while the otters groom.

"That could be either directly inhaled, or it might have deposited particulate matter into the water that sea otters could conceivably ingest while grooming," said Carswell.

Researchers will stay diligent in monitoring the ongoing condition of the Elkhorn Slough otters.

"We're monitoring their social behavior, their chronic stress and their habitat use, their foraging success," said Carswell. "We don't know how much smoke [the] sea otters were actually exposed to, but we will be looking at sea otters over the next coming months and even years to see if there's any kind of increase in certain causes of death or if there's any changes in the stranding rate."

The Elkhorn Slough reserve is asking for people who may notice unusual behavior or even death among the sea otters, to please report it to the reserve by calling 831-728-2822 or emailing questionsforus@elkhornslough.org.

Article Topic Follows: Moss Landing Storage Fire

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