SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The recovery of southern sea otters appears to have taken an upturn, according to results from the annual California sea otter survey released by the U.S. Geological Survey today. The 2013 surveys indicated that the sea otter population at heavily-oiled northern Knight Island, where abundance was depressed for two decades after the Spill, had finally reached pre-Spill levels. Sea otters are crucial indicators of the health of our nearshore waters and coastal resources, from kelp forests to fisheries. One controversial hypothesis is that orcas have been eating the otters. Other than special interactions, there are other factors that limit the sea otters population. Because the sea otter only lives for around 10-20 years (Environment Canada, 2011), and is only able to produce one offspring every year, the population does not have the ability to grow quickly. As healthy kelp forest ecosystems are critical for sea otter survival, significant change or loss in kelp forest may have contributed to the unsuccessful recovery efforts of the translocated population. 2. Aleutian sea otters have been in flux before. Next, the population began to increase rapidly, in a section of the log curve known as the log phase. This was not only due to a small initial population size, but also a rapid change in environment for the relocated creatures (Province of British Columbia, 2003). Browse the menu, click on the "Data and tools" tab, "News" tab, and "Related" tab to learn about sea otter biology and the annual California sea otter population survey. The sea otter population is not spatially homogeneous, but densest at the range center on the Monterey Peninsula (Nicholson et al., 2018). Despite this, there are still many similarities between the logistic growth curve, and the growth patterns of the British Columbian sea otters. To compound this problem, many of the pups who are born will not reach the age of sexual maturity for a variety of reasons including predation and habitat contamination. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) listed the southern sea otter population as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1977 and adopted a recovery plan for the population 1982, which was updated in 2003. counts of sea otters during 1990-96 at oiled sites were as high or higher than boat-based counts in the same area in the early 1980s. WERC's sea otter team and U.S. and Canadian researchers have teamed together to investigate. Researchers surveyed sea otter populations along the mainland coast, from Pigeon Point in the north to Gaviota State Park in the south, and also the distinct population at San Nicolas Island in the southern California Bight. Spring survey results are used as an indicator of the population trend of California sea otters. Sea otters once ranged from Northern Japan to central Baja California, and had an estimated global population of between 150,000 and 300,000. Fish and Wildlife Service and Monterey Bay Aquarium with the help of experienced volunteers, cover about 375 miles of California coast, from Half Moon Bay south to Santa Barbara. This year’s overall count of 3,186 exceeded the 3,090 threshold set by the FWS. Remnant population. “This is exciting because it suggests that resource managers have opportunities to manage large predators in ways that can help slow the rate with which climate change is deteriorating our natural ecosystems,” Rasher said. The researchers expected this, because although the sea otter population has increased, its geographic range has not expanded to match. Also, the growth pattern used was based on observed populations from 1995 to 2005, which may have changed more recently. In 1911, the global sea otter population dropped as low as 2,000 individuals, and the International Fur Seal Treaty was signed by Japan, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom (for Canada). In general, the current otter population is stable, however its troubled past and vulnerability to oil spills result in the need to protect the species (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2013). An estimate of otter population size in Alaska was 98,780 among the three populations in 2013 (USFWS, 2013) with observed annual growth rates in some areas reaching 16–20% (Bodkin et al., 1999; Estes, 1990). No data point selected. The survey records the total otter numbers, the number of dependent pups, and the number of independents (adults and subadults), observed. The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population at San Nicolas Island, California, has been monitored annually since the translocation of 140 sea otters to the island was completed in 1990. The fur trade that began in the 1740s reduced the sea otter's numbers to an estimated 1,000 to … Fish and Wildlife Service. Sea otter data. However hunting which began the downfall of the sea otter in the Northern Pacific Ocean. For example, the population used in this calculation is taken from 2008, which means that any prediction made, starts in 2008. Once an endangered species as a result of fur trading, otter populations recovered and appeared very healthy and robust in the early 1980s. Historical Data Figure 1: Sea otter population measured off the coast of Vancouver Island. The spring 2019 mainland sea otter count began on May 1 and was completed by July 9. In this phase, the sea otter was reclaiming the territory it once occupied, and had adequate resources to do so. Cover: ... survey of the sea otter population at San Nicolas Island was completed earlier in the spring (April 13–15) under fair-good survey viewing conditions (View Score = 1.5). Currently the southern sea otter population is estimated at just above 3,000 animals. For many years, there were no sea otters in Canadian waters and most of the sea otters in the world were located in the Aleutian Islands, off of the coast of Alaska. Sea otters have inhabited the northern coasts of the Pacific Ocean since the Pleistocene, about 1 to 3 million years ago. Recent population surveys (2008) indicate the Canadian Sea Otter population includes a minimum of 4,110 animals along the west coast of Vancouver Island and 602 animals on the central British Columbia coast. Surveys of sea otters in the 1970s and 1980s indicated a healthy and expanding population in most of Alaska, including Prince William Sound. Bbox East Long-120.226095 Bbox North Lat: 36.599 Bbox South Lat: 34.4157 Bbox West Long 2. Sea otter habitat is considered to extend offshore from the mean low tide line and out to the 60m isobath: this depth range includes over 99% of sea otter feeding dives, based on dive-depth data from radio tagged sea otters (Tinker et al 2006, 2007). This represents a translocated population. For these reasons, this is only an estimation, and should be used solely as a rough estimate of future populations in the British Columbia area. However in 1969, Canada undertook a reintroduction program which relocated 89 sea otters from Alaska to the coastal waters of British Columbia. When sea otters want to rest, they wrap a piece of kelp around their body to hold themselves steady among the rolling waves. Earlier data from counts and estimates using a variety of methods. Download annual survey data from 1985 to present. A hierarchical modeling framework was used that allows for the incorporation of data from multiple sources collected at different spatial scales. WERC scientists conduct annual population surveys of the southern sea otter, a federally listed threatened species. There it is either approaching, or already at, carrying capacity (Gagne et al., 2018 ; Smith, Newsome, Estes, & Tinker, 2015 ). With the decrease in the number of sea otters, there has been a steep rise in the population of sea urchins, the population of which was kept in check by otters. Sea otters came under international protection in 1911 and since then, their numbers have rebounded. U.S. Geological Survey scientists say the latest 3-year average (2,813 sea otters) was 0.5 percent lower than last year, the first time the trend has been negative since the late 1990s. the sea otter translocation program. CALIFORNIA SEA OTTER POPULATION ANNUAL SURVEY – survey history and methodology. 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