Safeguarding our coastal communities
The Otter Project enhances the rapid recovery of the threatened southern sea otter by securing protected sea otter habitat, defending California’s kelp forests, eliminating devastating sea otter mortalities, and safeguarding our coastal communities.
One of the principal threats to the southern sea otters’ recovery remains a lack of available habitat. We defend the otters’ habitat by enhancing marine protected areas, utilizing environmental monitoring and education and outreach programs to safeguard the Monterey Sanctuary, and preventing future oil spills.
Sea otters, like all of earth’s inhabitants, are at risk from climate change. Ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and habitat loss are just some of the impacts threatening the otter. And these effects are often compounded—sea otters are the first line of defense for kelp, a natural carbon sink whose losses impact the otters' habitat as well as our entire ecosystem. We respond to climate change by building climate hope spots to provide a buffer to climate change, curbing agricultural pollution, and combating ocean acidification.
Californians and the sea otter alike deserve fishable, swimmable, and drinkable waters. We strive to meet that goal through water quality enforcement, preventing plastic pollution, and stopping illegal toxic dumping.
For over two decades, The Otter Project has protected our watersheds and coastal oceans to promote the rapid recovery of the threatened California sea otter.