Today, we launched our film: Coastal Voices; Navigating the Return of Sea Otters on our new project web site: CoastalVoices.net
About the Film
With a shared passion for our oceans, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and artists discuss the conflicts and profound transformations triggered by the recovery of sea otters along the Pacific coast of North America. This mini documentary captures the voices of prominent Indigenous Leaders on the value of sea otters in maintaining kelp forest ecosystems, the role of humans in ecosystems, and the pillars of Indigenous governance. Elders share their knowledge of the hunting and management practices of their ancestors while anthropologists describe evidence revealed from thousand year old archaeological sites that mirrors this knowledge. Marine ecologists discuss the cascading effects and resource conflicts caused by sea otters today and social scientists and Indigenous stewardship managers reflect on possible solutions, the governance of ocean spaces, and the reassertion of territorial rights by coastal First Nations in British Columbia, Canada.
