Sea otters are ecosystem engineers
In 1977, southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, having been historically decimated by the fur trade. Defending the southern sea otter—a keystone species in California’s coastal habitats—is an investment in our local communities. Beneficial ripple effects of a recovered southern sea otter population include healthy kelp forests, increased carbon sinks, abundant fisheries, and increased ecotourism, and have been valued at $53M annually.
The southern sea otter’s recovery is invaluable because of their role in the survival of California’s underwater parks. Southern sea otters are a beloved, iconic species of Monterey Bay. Treasured across the state, the value of these otters go well beyond the surface.
Historically, as many as 20,000 otters lived along the California coast. But wild populations have struggled to recover after being decimated by the fur trade. The recovery of sea otters in California remains uncertain. They remain vulnerable to infectious diseases, environmental pollutants, white sharks, and the impacts from an oil spill. Despite decades of protection, scientists and wildlife managers are troubled by the lack of increase in the wild sea otter population.
Along the Pacific Coast, sea otters once inhabited the nearshore coastal ecosystem from northern California all the way to Baja California in Mexico. However, currently the sea otter range only extends from north of Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County south along the California coast to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County.