Shemya Island, Aleutian Chain, Alaska

Shemya Island is one of a small group of Islands known as the Semichi Islands. The Semichi Islands with Attu and Agattu Islands make up the Near Islands. They are located at the end of the Aleutian Archipelago. In the late 1800's sea otters disappeared due to hunting pressure. With the disappearance of sea otters the green sea urchin population exploded, devastating the previously extensive kelp beds. With the loss of habitat, fish populations and birds and animals dependent upon the fish also disappeared. There are few seals and no eagles at Shemya.. Foxes were introduced by fur traders and became feral. It was thought that the Aleutian Canada goose had been extirpated from the Aleutian Islands but a population was discovered on Buldir Island in 1962 and measures were taken to protect it, i.e., removal of the Arctic foxes, except on Shemya, where the foxes predation on goose eggs and young geese as well as other birds such as gulls is thought to lessen the chances of aircraft-bird impacts (Shemya Island is a military base).