Sea Otter Gene Transcription Data from Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2005-2012

These data are part of a body of work evaluating spatial and temporal variation in molecular gene transcription as an indicator of exposure of sea otters to residual oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS). The sea otter biomarker project is a component of the integrated Long-term Monitoring of Marine Conditions and Injured Resources and Services submitted by McCammon et al. in spring 2011 to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustees Council (EVOSTC). Sea otter populations in Prince William Sound (PWS) were injured as a result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, with evidence for both immediate acute mortality and longer term injury from chronic exposure to oil spilled in 1989. It appears that full recovery was still not complete as of 2011. Prior EVOSTC projects have examined continuing exposure to lingering oil as a factor constraining recovery, using biomarker assays (gene transcription assays to evaluate exposure and health of sea otters). For sea otters, recent studies have shown that abundance in the vicinity of northern Knight Island has not yet returned to pre-spill levels, and that otters are foraging in areas where lingering oil persists in sediments. Most recently, gene transcription assays have been developed, using an array of genes to specifically quantify oil exposure and health status of sea otters.

• USGS Alaska Science Center - Data Release Backup

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