May 8, 2023 · Based on sea otter diving behavior, a study by the USGS suggested that sea otters in the most heavily impacted areas were still being exposed to oil on a regular basis, resulting in delayed recovery and continued early mortality through 2009. This population of otters was finally determined to be recovered to pre-spill abundance in 2013 (24 ...

Aug 28, 2017 · Sea otters live in shallow coastal waters in the northern Pacific Ocean. Two sea otter subspecies occur in the United States, the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) and the northern sea otter (E.l. kenyoni). Southern sea otters, also known as California sea otters, live in the waters along the central California coastline.

sea otter presence exceeded losses to shellfish fisheries many times over. A 2006 study of California sea otter ecotourism in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties estimated a tourism-related income range of $1.5 to $8.2 million from sea otter expansion along a portion of the southern California coastline. Early modeling for Oregon contracted by

Southern Sea Otter Population Trends (3-yr Avg Index) Total CA wide index Delisting Threshold Mainland Total Mainland Independents San Nicolas Total San Nicolas Independents California Summary Tinker, M.T., and Hatfield, B.B., 2017, California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, spring 2017:

Conclusions: Sea otter ecosystem effects vary between coastal habitats Kelp forests • primary productivity, species diversity, enhanced nursery habitat for fish, shoreline stability, carbon fixation, etc. Seagrass: • Sea otters reduce crab populations, facilitating grazers in seagrass beds • Positive effects for eelgrass resilience.

Southern sea otter counts 1983–2019. Bars show raw counts for each year for the central California mainland and San Nicolas Island (SNI), whereas lines represent 3-year running averages. The annual census was not completed in 2011 (due to weather) or after 2019 (due to COVID-19 restrictions and plane availability). Southern Sea Otter Recovery

Marine mammal species and populations are listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA. The MMPA protects all marine mammal species; many of which are listed as depleted. IUCN red list of threatened species provides a global status for …

otter foraging data from the past decade and determined that crabs of all species comprised 52% of the total diet of sea otters foraging on or near eelgrass beds in Elkhorn Slough, with crabs from the genus Cancer making up 43% of the sea otter diet (Fig. S1). Sea otters are well known to limit populations of their

sea otter stocks, and (2) use that information in its management of those stocks and assessments of risk factors affecting them; and revise the distribution and stock boundary maps of each sea otter stock to provide more detailed, stock-specific information, including the track lines of surveys conducted in the last eight years. RATIONALE

deaths of stranded sea otters and the addition of complementary studies of sea otter foraging; • annually review and update the southern sea otter stock assessment report; and • consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure adequate observer coverage of fisheries likely to take sea otters incidentally, particularly fisheries ...