On February 15^th, Representative Gallegly (R – Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties) introduced H.R. 4043, a bill that represents a full step backwards in sea otter conservation. Though deceptively titled as legislation that promotes the recovery of the threatened southern sea otter, the “Military Readiness and Southern Sea Otter Conservation Act“ would in fact undermine the current process of ending the antiquated no-otter zone that was established in 1987. The no-otter zone prohibited sea otters from entering coastal waters south of Point Conception (near Santa Barbara), but has failed in its purpose and is currently undergoing the process to be terminated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by this December.

H.R. 4043 requires that termination of the no-otter zone be stalled again while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service complete an “Ecosystem Management Plan.” Under H.R. 4043, an Ecosystem Management Plan would have to “[ensure] the commercial harvest of shellfish fisheries at levels approximating current harvests.” Shellfish harvests in southern California have declined because of over-harvesting by the same groups that would benefit from this bill by requiring a plan that would maintain their current harvest levels. This requirement is essentially a handout to the commercial shellfish industry and a license to continue practicing their irresponsible harvests.

The Ecosystem Management Plan would also have to ensure the recovery of the endangered white and black abalone, though scientists have concluded over and over again that the decline of these species was not due to sea otters. Indeed, the two species can and do co-exist. Because it conveniently supports their goal of opposing sea otter range expansion, the shellfish industry continues to promulgate the unproven belief that otters are the sole cause of the white and black abalone’s decline.

Sea otters, once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, were nearly eliminated from California in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Only in the past few decades has the species begun to recover, though the recovery has not been without its struggles. The latest survey found the population had declined by 3.6% to 2,711 animals. There is general consensus that, in order for the species to confront the varied obstacles it faces (from pollution and disease to food limitation), it must be allowed to naturally expand its range.

Sea otters should be allowed to swim freely, unobstructed by special interests. H.R. 4043 is no more than a veiled tactic aimed at obstructing the termination of the no-otter zone and securing a restriction on the sea otter’s natural range while giving a handout to the shellfish fisheries. Halting natural range expansion would defeat the well-studied environmental benefits, economic gains and jobs associated with tourism, sea otters, and a balanced and healthy ecosystem. H.R. 4043 is bad for otters, bad for jobs, and bad for the environment. It’s time to stand up to the obstructionists and end the no-otter zone.

Write your representative to oppose H.R. 4043.

Since 2009, scientists have been working to understand why the southern sea otter population has started to decline. In order to provide answers that can help to reverse this trend, Californian taxpayers supported the California Sea Otter Fund through voluntary donations on the state income tax forms. The Fund, divided equally among the California Coastal Conservancy and the California Department of Fish and Game, currently supports vital research seeking to understand the identified correlation between coastal pollution and sea otter populations.

To accomplish this task, researchers compare random samples of tagged sea otters from the polluted waters near relatively densely populated Monterey coastline and the near pristine waters off the coast of sparsely populated Big Sur. By comparing patterns of disease, the exposure to contaminants, physiological condition, behavior, diet, survival and reproductive success between these two contrasting regions, researchers are discovering beginning to understand the relationships between near-shore water quality, pollution, nutritional deficiencies and sea otter population health. For more information on current sea otter studies, click here.

Though legislation last year ensured the possibility of the Sea Otter Fund to appear on California income tax forms, each year the Fund must “prove its popularity” by attracting a minimum amount of donations.

In 2012, the minimum contribution level is $260,890, and any amount, small or large, will help to reach this minimum. Here’s how you can make your contribution:

1. When filling out your 540 form, look for line 410 labeled CA Sea Otter Fund, under Contributions. Fill out whatever amount you wish to donate.
2. If owed money by the state, whatever amount you contribute to the CA Sea Otter Fund will be deducted from your refund.
3. If you owe taxes, whatever amount you contribute should be added to your check you make out to the State

Every donation to the Fund is important, even if it is as low as $1. So please remember sea otters on tax day and consider a donation to the California Sea Otter Fund.

At the beginning of the year FSO partnered with Defenders of Wildlife, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Ocean Public Trust Initiative (a project of the Earth Island Institute’s International Marine Mammal Project) to assess and comment on the Draft Recovery Plan for the Southwest Alaska Distinct Population Segment of the Northern Sea Otter. FSO supports an ecosystem-based approach to reversing the declining trend of the southwest population and recognizes the importance of a solid recovery plan. To that end, we urged the Fish and Wildlife Service to consider all aspects of the Southwest Alaska population’s decline and to reflect on the causes for increased orca predation on sea otters.

FSO began the Yampah Island Project, a partnership with the Elkhorn Slough Foundation and the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve to monitor the unique sea otter behavior within the inland waters of the slough for research, education, and outreach efforts. The Project includes the construction of two remote-controlled cameras mounted on self-sustaining monitoring platforms that will broadcast live video feeds of the otters to the internet and the Elkhorn Slough Visitor Center. These cameras will act as unobtrusive windows into the natural lives of sea otters living in remote areas of the slough that are normally only accessible by boat.

In June and October, FSO hosted meetings with our members in Monterey to explain our current projects and solicit feedback. Those members who attended were not only enthusiastic about the current trajectory of the organization, but also very willing to help increase FSO’s outreach and education capacity. Many are now active volunteers for Friends of the Sea Otter who engage the community on behalf of FSO and continue to work for the recovery of the species.

During the summer FSO began a grassroots campaign to end the No-Otter Zone off the coast of Southern California in response to the release of a revised draft supplement to the environmental impact statement (DSEIS) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In the DSEIS, FWS proposed ending the No-Otter Zone and leaving those otters currently living within the zone untouched. Thousands of our members supported the proposed decision by writing letters to FWS and attending public hearings, vastly outnumbering those few fishing interests that oppose the recovery of the species.

In September the State of California officially announced that the Sea Otter Fund would appear on the 2011 California State Income Tax form. The Fund is an important financial source for researchers working at the California Department of Fish and Game and the California Coastal Conservancy who perform studies on the southern sea otter. The Fund is supported solely through voluntary contributions of tax refunds by checking the appropriate box on California State Income Tax forms. This was an important victory – over $330,000 was raised in 2011 alone.

Sea Otter Awareness Week was held between September 25 and October 1, 2011. FSO partnered with Monterey Bay Kayaks to offer members discounts on kayak rentals to view sea otters in their natural habitat in Monterey Bay and the Elkhorn Slough. We also participated in “Otter Days” at the Monterey Bay Aquarium by engaging aquarium visitors and discussing sea otter issues and ways the general public can help ensure the recovery of the species.

In November, FSO began its campaign to block H.R. 2714, a bill that would legalize a new fur trade based on the harvesting of Alaska’s sea otters. The bill would legalize the sale of unaltered sea otter pelts to non-natives and further incentivize sea otter harvests, possibly undoing all the progress sea otters have made in Alaska. We are seeking members and the general public to write to their legislators and oppose the bill when it comes to a vote in the House of Representatives.

Throughout the winter, FSO engaged the public at numerous events ranging from the premier of Otter 501 (a documentary by Sea Studios that focuses on a rehabilitated otter pup from the Monterey Bay Aquarium) to a fundraising gala held by Spector Dance to promote their new performance titled Ocean and a Community Day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. By maintaining a constant presence in the community, we hope to inspire our fellow neighbors to do their part for the sea otter.

MBA Community Day, Image Courtesy of Mike Baronial, FSO Member

Finally, near the end of the year, FSO began to reach out to sea otter researchers and organizations to connect our volunteers with opportunities to spot and observe sea otters in the wild while making meaningful contributions to current sea otter research and census efforts. This would add to the important efforts of FSO volunteers that are already actively working with the California Department of Health in collecting water samples in sea otter habitat to analyze for biotoxins. Details on what this otter spotting volunteer program will entail will come in early 2012.

As you can see, this past year has been an active year for FSO, our members, and sea otters. Looking forward, we can expect another vigorous year in 2012. The Yampah Island Project is only just getting started and we look forward to having our first look through the remote monitoring stations by the end of next year. We also look forward to continuing our work with stakeholders and partners to ensure the Fish and Wildlife Service ends the No-Otter Zone without harming sea otters at San Nicolas Island. Our campaign against the bill that would legalize a new fur trade in Alaska has only just begun, and we expect to hit the ground running with a new Otter Spotting volunteer program in the Monterey Area early next year.

To that end, we cannot continue our vital work without your support. FSO relies heavily upon the generosity of our members as we work to ensure the survival and recovery of all sea otters. Please consider making a contribution today that will go toward our current and future projects and programs and help us save the sea otter.

Black abalone cluster together in a rocky, intertidal crag on San Nicolas Island. Photo by: David Witting, NOAA Restoration Center.

On November 28^th the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) designated 360 square kilometers of California coast up to a depth of 6 meters as critical habitat for the black abalone.

This is great news for not only black abalone, a species whose numbers have declined rapidly in the last few decades and is listed under the Endangered Species Act, but it is also great news for the entire Californian nearshore ecosystem. Designating habitat as critical goes beyond the normal protections afforded an individual species that is listed under the Endangered Species Act. By protecting the species’ habitat and designating it as critical, the NMFS is protecting not just habitat currently occupied by black abalone, but also potential habitat not currently occupied but into which the species can expand and recover.

Once a habitat is listed as critical, any federal project (or projects that receive federal assistance or require federal permits) that affect the habitat must be identified, assessed, and its impacts mitigated if possible. For example, if an agricultural operation uses pesticides requiring a federal permit, they must prove that their operations will not negatively affect the species or the designated critical habitat and prevent black abalone from expanding their range. This is a huge step toward safeguarding the marine ecosystem for not only black abalone, but for other wildlife that call the nearshore ecosystem their home as well, such as sea otters.

Southern sea otters, also listed under the Endangered Species Act, have long been blamed by fishing groups for the rapid decline of black abalone. These groups have often used the decline of the black abalone as a reason for restricting the sea otter’s range. They claim that sea otters, some of which prey on black abalone as a part of their natural diet, are the main driver of the black abalone’s decline in California. The NMFS reconfirmed, in their response to comments on their proposed rule to declare critical habitat for black abalone, that sea otters and are not a main driver of the black abalone’s decline. In particular, the NMFS claimed:

1. Sea otters were absent from southern California during the widespread decline of black abalone in that region
2. The current last foothold for black abalone (i.e. central and north-central California habitats) directly overlaps with the current range of sea otters
3. One of the only places in southern California where black abalone populations have been increasing and where multiple recruitment events have occurred since 2005 (i.e. San Nicolas Island) is also the only place south of Point Conception where a growing population of southern sea otters exists, indicating that black abalone populations can recover and remain stable in the presence of sea otters.

Based on the best available science, sea otters are not to blame for the black abalone’s decline. In fact, the NMFS claims that historical overfishing and poaching, along with disease, are the prime culprits for the decline of the black abalone.

Though critical habitat for black abalone is a good step in the right direction, incredibly important species like sea otters are still struggling to survive in the increasingly polluted Californian coastal waters. Now is the time to celebrate for the additional protections afforded our coastal ecosystem through this designation, but Californians should remain vigilant in the fight for a healthy marine environment. Write your representatives to let them know you support a clean coastal environment so that wildlife, like the black abalone and the sea otter, can thrive.

The Alaskan Sea Otters

The bill only targets the southcentral and southwest DPS for management (the Alaskan sea otter range is divided into three populations segments (DPS) the southeast, southcentral, and southwest populations). The southwest population is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The southcentral DPS is perhaps the most successful sea otter population at approximately 12,774 otters. However, these sea otters are not without their challenges. In 1989, the Exxon-Valdez oil spill killed nearly 4,000 sea otters. The sea otter population and parts of the nearshore ecosystem are recovering slowly from this disaster.

The Southeast DPS

The southeast DPS is the successful result of a translocation program in the 1960s that established 13 colonies with approximately 9,136 of sea otters, but growth has been unequal within this range. where population numbers have increased significantly in the southern segment and within Glacier Bay National Park in the northern segment only. Outside of Glacier Bay, the growth rate has been struggling.

Legal Hunting of Sea Otters

Although the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) outlaws the killing of a marine mammal and the trading of its parts, an exception permits the unlimited and non-wasteful harvesting of sea otters by native peoples for subsistence and traditional purposes. It is lawful for native peoples to hunt sea otters and sell their parts, so long as the parts are sufficiently modified in a traditional fashion (to produce, for example, traditional handicrafts and garments). Selling unmodified sea otter pelts remains illegal under the current law.

A 2009 study shows that 8% of the northern segment of the southeast DPS population (outside of Glacier Bay, where hunting is illegal) is hunted each year. Because evidence of other common threats to sea otters (predation, pollution, disease and food limitation) is lacking, otter experts believe that the high harvest rate may be the cause for the decreased population growth rates of the sea otters in this region.  In 2010 alone, 601 sea otters were harvested from the southeast DPS; the highest annual harvest since 1993 and a 55% increase over the annual harvest in 2003.

The Threat

The Don Young bill threatens to increase the harvest levels even more, stripping the requirement under the MMPA that harvested sea otter parts be fashioned into a traditional craft by native peoples.  This opens the market for the trade of plain, unmodified sea otter pelts.  Nothing in the bill would restrict pelts from being sold to businesses and then be fashioned into coats or other commercial items.

The bill rather feeds the interest of Alaskan fisheries, creating a de facto management plan for northern sea otters. Because fishing groups compete with sea otters for their product, an indirect management plan to stabilize or reduce sea otter growth benefits them greatly.

The bill is disastrous for sea otters, the environment, and the people of Alaska. The sea otter’s role in maintaining kelp ecosystems are well known (and described in the No-Otter Zone article of this newsletter), providing numerous ecological and economic benefits to the nearshore environment. The sea otter is also a well-known tourist attraction in Alaska.

If this bill passes and harvest rates increase further, all progress made since the 1960s translocation programs to reintroduce otters and maintain a healthy and balanced nearshore environment that benefits the native peoples will be lost.

How you can help

This bill represents a major threat to sea otter recovery in Alaska. The fur trade of the 18^th and 19^th centuries nearly destroyed the species. Write to your elected officials and urge them to oppose H.R. 2714 and S. 1453 (its identical counterpart in the Senate), the bill that reauthorized the fur trade. Visit www.seaotters.org/takeaction.html to learn how.

As part of Sea Otter Awareness Week, the Monterey Bay Aquarium will be hosting “Otter Days” this weekend, September 24^th and 25^th. These days will be full of otter-related activities including sea otter feeding and training sessions and chances to meet with sea otter researchers and aquarists who care for the otters.

Friends of the Sea Otter is proud to also take part in these activities. Don’t forget to stop by our table during Otter Days to learn about how FSO is fighting for the survival of the sea otter!

For more information on the Otter Days at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, click here or to see the schedule click here.

The Fund has been an important financial source for researchers working at the California Department of Fish and Game and the California Coastal Conservancy who perform studies on the southern sea otter, a threatened species whose population is on the decline.

The law prolongs for another 5 years the option for Californian taxpayers to donate a portion of their tax return to the Fund. So far this year, California taxpayers have donated $331,028 to the Fund.

Thank you to all those who supported this bill!

You can be sure that this proposed rule will meet stiff opposition from those who fear increased competition from sea otters. But people like you can help bring clarity to the discussion. The benefits of returning sea otters to Southern California far outweigh the associated costs of increased fishing competition. Furthermore, countless studies conclude that maintaining the No-Otter Zone is detrimental to the southern sea otter recovery by increasing and concentrating the threats that sea otters are facing today to a geographically narrow range.

That’s why we, and the otters, need you to speak out!

In particular, the Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting comments concerning the following:

1. The reasons why the southern sea otter translocation program, including the management and translocation zones and associated regulations, should or should not be terminated, including information that supports the need for any changes to the proposed rule;
2. Current or planned activities in the subject area and their possible effects on southern sea otters that have not been adequately considered in the proposed rule, revised draft supplementary environmental impact statement (SEIS), and initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA);
3. Any foreseeable economic or other impacts resulting from the proposed termination of the southern sea otter translocation program that have not been adequately considered in the proposed rule, revised draft SEIS, and IRFA;
4. Any substantive information on real or potential effects on southern sea otters of the proposed termination of the southern sea otter translocation program that have not been adequately considered in the proposed rule, revised draft SEIS, and IRFA; and
5. Any actions that could be considered in lieu of, or in conjunction with, the proposed rule that would provide equivalent opportunity for the recovery of the southern sea otter.

The Fish and Wildlife Service would like to hear comments from the public on why you support sea otters expanding into the waters south of Point Conception. Your reasons can be as vague as why you personally like sea otters, or as specific as the economic and/or ecological benefits associated with sea otters. But here are some factual points that may help with your comments:

• Sea otters once numbered in the hundreds of thousands and ranged from Baja California to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia until fur hunters decimated their population. Allowing uninhibited range expansion would be allowing otters to return to their historic home.
• Sea otters play an important role as apex predators in the coastal environment by preying on urchins who feed on kelp.
• When sea otters are present, kelp forests flourish and allow for an abundant diversity of life to thrive in coastal waters.
• When absent, sea urchins dominate the ocean floor and feed voraciously on kelp which destroys the kelp ecosystem and creates “urchin barren” environments with much less productivity and biodiversity.
  • Sea otters are an important tourist attraction that could generate millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs for local economies.
  • The SNI population has not grown as expected and the original threat of an oil spill that could destroy the southern sea otter is still valid today. Allowing uninterrupted range expansion by ending the No-Otter Zone lessens the threat that a single disaster could make extinct the entire southern sea otter species.

Sea otter population growth has been the most robust in the southern part of its range in recent years, and there have been repeated incidents of large numbers of otters crossing into the No-Otter Zone. Allowing range expansion could enable more robust population growth.

There are four easy ways in which you can make your voice heard:

Sign our petition.

By signing our petition to urge the Fish and Wildlife Service to follow through and finally end the No-Otter Zone, you’ll be adding your name to possibly thousands of others who support the recovery of the southern sea otter. We’ll be sure to submit this petition to the Fish and Wildlife Service as part of our own comments. Just click here and follow the instructions on your screen.

Upload your own comments.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has made available to the public a fast and easy way to electronically send written comments on the proposed decision and associated environmental document. Just follow these 6 easy steps:

1. Click here to go to the webpage made available to submit comments through www.Regulations.gov. In addition, click here to view the Revised Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Rule on which you are commenting.
2. Fill out the required form and write your comment. Please be aware that there is a 20 minute time limit for this page. We suggest writing your comments first, and then copy and paste your comments in the comment box. For an example of what to include in your comment box, read our petition.
3. Don’t forget to click Submit!

Write and mail a hardcopy of your comments.

Mail your comments to:

Historically, those who oppose southern sea otter recovery in the No-Otter Zone are very vocal at these types of public hearings. Please consider showing your support for sea otters by attending a hearing! For more information, or to let us know that you will be attending, please do not hesitate to contact Friends of the Sea Otter. *  info@seaotters.org

*Please note that these are open public hearings and it is not necessary for you to inform Friends of the Sea Otter of your attendance. However, we would like to help prepare those who are willing to attend. If you would like more information on the No-Otter Zone, some suggested talking points, or to coordinate with FSO and/or other members, please contact us.

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA (Aug. 17, 2011) – A coalition of organizations welcomed news that
California’s struggling sea otters may soon get a big boost thanks to a draft plan released by
federal wildlife officials today that would end a controversial “no-otter” zone on the California
coast and allow the marine mammals to re-colonize their traditional habitat.

California sea otters are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In
1986, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) implemented a translocation program that
removed otters from the shoreline of Southern California and relocated them to San Nicolas
Island, with the hope of establishing a second viable population that would protect the species in
the event of any environmental disaster. At the same time, FWS implemented a “no-otter” zone
south of Point Conception in which otters would be removed and transported back north of the
zone’s boundary. Translocation failed to promote otter recovery, and FWS subsequently
determined that enforcement of the “no-otter” zone violates the ESA by jeopardizing the species’
recovery due to harm to the species during transport. FWS has long recognized that natural
range expansion is necessary to achieve species recovery for the California sea otter.

For the next 60 days, FWS is soliciting public input on the proposal before making a final
decision. Conservation groups that have been focused on efforts to aid the otter’s recovery were
quick to commend FWS’ proposal to end the translocation program and allow for the species’
natural range expansion.

Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Sea Otter, The Humane Society of the United States, and
the Monterey Bay Aquarium, issued the following statement:

“Today is a good day for California sea otters. We support an end to the ineffective and harmful
translocation program and “no-otter” management zone. For sea otters to have a real shot at
recovery, they must be allowed to return to their historic range off the coast of Southern
California. If sea otters thrive again throughout their historic range, the entire marine ecosystem
will benefit.”

*************************************************************************************

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their
natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a
leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to
come. 

For more information, visit www.defenders.org. Contact: Jim Curland, Marine Program
Associate, at (831) 726-9010 or jcurland@defenders.org.

Founded in 1968 and with over 4,000 members worldwide, Friends of the Sea Otter advances the conservation of sea otters by educating the public, supporting research, and advocating for the protection of the sea otter at the local, state, and federal level. 

www.seaotters.org. Contact:Jason Lutterman, Program Manager, at (831) 915-3275 or jlutterman@seaotters.org.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization –backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty – 

On the web at humanesociety.org.Contact: Kristen Eastman, at (240) 654-2667 or keastman@humanesociety.org.

The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans. Through its award-winning exhibits, education programs, conservation research initiatives and ocean policy advocacy, it reaches millions of people and advances progress toward creating a future with healthy oceans. www.montereybayaquarium.org.

Contact: Andrew Johnson, Program Manager, Sea Otter Research and Conservation, at (831) 648-7934 or ajohnson@mbayaq.org.

Monterey Bay Kayaks has graciously offered a discount to FSO members, eligible to be applied to a kayak rental for October 1^st. If you would like to join FSO and other members for a joint trip through the Elkhorn Slough at 10:00 AM on October 1st, please send us your name, number of people in your party, contact information (phone and/or email) and check for $45 made to:

Friends of the Sea Otter

PO Box 223260

Carmel, CA 93922

Additionally, if you donate online through Network for Good, please indicate in the designation field “FSO Kayak Trip.”

The deadline for all reservations is Friday, September 2nd to hold your spot. Be sure to indicate that you would like to participate in the kayaking tour of Elkhorn Slough.

For more information on the Elkhorn Slough:    http://www.elkhornslough.org/

For more information on Monterey Bay Kayaks:            http://www.montereybaykayaks.com/