Northern Sea Otters by Taryn McLaughlin

https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/northern-sea-otters/

OTTER DEVASTATION

Northern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris keyoni)

By: Taryn McLaughlin

       Description + Ecology

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=seaotter.main

Sea otters live to be 15-20 years. Sea otters are, on average, four feet long and weigh 45-65 pounds. They have strong canines and molars to tear their main diet of sea urchins, clams, mussels, and crustaceans. Its prey ranges from tiny limpets crabs to giant octopuses. Females begin breeding one pup annually starting at age 2-5 years; in Alaska, most pups are born in late spring. 
The Northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris keyoni) is the sub-population located mainly in Southern Alaska--specifically the Attu Island to the Western Cook Inlet. There are currently an estimated 70,000 Northern sea otters currently extant. Most of their habitats are near shore marine environments, with “84% of foraging…in water ≤ 30m in depth” (IUCN Red List). Traditionally, they prefer habitats with rocky coastlines, thick kelp forests or barrier reefs that offer protection from severe ocean winds.

Geographic + Population Changes

http://www.seaotters.org/otterspotting/

 Originally, sea otters were found across the North Pacific Rim—from “Hokkaido, Japan, through the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Commander Islands, the Aleutian Islands, peninsular and south coastal Alaska and south to Baja California, Mexico” (IUCN Red List). But, unfortunately, the Canadian and Mexican sub-populations have since been extirpated. Today, the sea otter ranges in gaps from the Aleutian Islands to the Prince William Sound; as mentioned before, the Northern sea otter occurs from the Southern Alaskan Islands to British Columbia, Canada.

In the early 1700s, the estimated worldwide sea otter population was 150,000-300,000 individuals. The Northern sea otter sub-population once contained more than half of the world’s sea otters, but has now “undergone on overall population decline of at least 55-67 percent since the mid-1980s” (ECOS). By 2000, the population had decreased by 90%. Reports indicate a population increase in 2005, but still remain far below the region’s carrying capacity.

Date + Cause of Listing

As of 08/09/2005 the Northern Sea Otter is listed as threatened.

Beginning in 1741, Russian explorers commercial harvested sea otters for their furs. Most sea otter hunting and trading has ceased since the end of commercial fur trade in 1911; however, 300 know sea otter pelts were being sold on the Russian Black Market in as late as the summer of 2005.

Current Threats

 http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/

it-took-25-years-sea-otters-get-over-exxon-valdez-

oil-spill.html

        Today, oil spills are the largest human-caused threat to sea otters. Unlike other marine mammals, like polar bears and whales, sea otters lack a blubber layer, so they rely on their fur keep them warm. [Fun Fact!: Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal on earth with 1 million hairs per square inch (Leibowitz Poma).] The oil hinders the otter furs’ insulating property, causing sea otters to become hypothermic. The 1989 Exxon Oil Spill killed of thousands of sea otters; it took 25 years for the population to recover (Richard).
            Smaller accounts for the decline of Northern sea otter populations include: predation of killer whales in the Aleutian Islands, competition with commercial fisheries, and disease and contaminant outbreaks.

Recovery Plan

1. Monitor populations

a.     Evaluate population sizes, individual body conditions, vital rates, and overall functional role within ecosystems.

2. Identify habitat areas and prepare conservation plans under Alaskan fisheries

3. Manage the impacts of human uses

a.     Control subsistence harvest

b.     Reduce incidental take in fisheries and entanglement in debris

c.      Eliminate illegal take

4. Evaluate the impact of diseases and develop management plans where necessary

5. Evaluate the role of predation by sharks and killer whales

6. Protect from human-caused threats

a.     oil spills, contaminant, biotoxins

b.     create outreach programs to teach mariners how to avoid striking otters

7. Implement recovery program

a.     Maintain positions within FWS

b.     Continue research efforts

c.      Secure funding for management and research needs

What Can You Do?

1.  DONATE to organizations like the IUCN and WWF

2. If you’re an Alaskan Citizen, VOTE on legislation that protects Northern Sea Otter populations.

Other Resources

"Alaska Program." Seaotters.org.Friends of the Sea Otter, Web. 27 Nov. 2016.

Leibowitz Poma, Elissa."Ten Facts about Sea Otters." WWF. World Wildlife Fund,13 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

"Northern Sea Otter." Marine Mammal Commission. Marine Mammal Commision, Web. 27 Nov. 2016. 

Richard, Michael Graham."It Took 25 Years for Alaska Sea Otters to Get over the Exxon Valdez OilSpill." TreeHugger. CBC, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.  

Please help save the otters, they’re BEGGING you!!!
https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/northern-sea-otters/