I remember some reports from Alaska several years ago that had outlined a scenario such as this...

As Chinook populations crashed, killer whales shifted to eating other things, including otters. When the otter population went down, the sea urchin population went through the roof, and sea urchins eat kelp.

Kelp beds were shrinking...and kelp beds are the predominant spawning substrate for herring...herring populations were being affected, which further affected the food base for the Chinook...

Viewing the environment as anything but one holistic and interconnected web can have serious consequences, to say the least.

Fish on...

Todd