The reading states that the pollution hypothesis seemed the more likely to cause the decline in the sea otter populations and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor states that the predation hypothesis is the most likely the cause of the sea otter decline in populations and refutes each of the others reasons. First, the reading states that the oil ridgs and other sources of industrial chemical pollution caused the death to the sea otters. The professor opposes this point by saying that the pollution theroy is weakened because people did not find dead sea otter on the beaches of the sea, and that supports the predation theory because if the sea otters were killed because of the pollution, they should wash up to the shores, and that did not happen. …show more content…
The professor counters this point by saying that the whales were disappeared because of the human hunters. That made the Ocras change their diets to hunt seals, sea lions, and sea otters, so that supports the predation theory also. Third, the reading states that the pollution hypothesis could also explain the uneven pattern of otter decline. The professor refutes this point by saying that ocras ' populations declined in the places, where the Ocras are easily accessible to the sea otters, while sea otters ' population did not decline in the shallow water or rocky areas, where it 's hard for the Ocra to get