Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)

Sea otters were extirpated from Washington state in the early 1900s. From 1969 to 1970, 59 sea otters were translocated from Amchitka Island, Alaska to the coast of Washington state. Due to translocation mortality and other factors, it is estimated that today's population are descendants of between 10 and 43 translocated otters. According to results of the most recent survey of the reintroduced sea otter population in Washington State, 555 animals were observed in 2001 (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife paper). Most of the current sea otter range is within the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and historical records suggest that there were few if any sea otters east of the San Juan Islands, but sea otters have been reported within the inland waters as far south as the South Puget Sound. Sea otters primarily prey on benthic invertebrates and it has been hypothesized that in some areas they may be responsible for enhancing biodiversity by limiting sea urchin predation on kelp. The SDS funded a research project to evaluate the trophic effect of expanding sea otter range into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on coastal biological communities: "Testing a charismatic paradigm: Consequences of a growing sea otter population for nearshore benthic communities along the south shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca" by Glen Van Blaricom. For more information about the reintroduced sea otter population in Washington state, view the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's sea otter recovery plan. The Northern Sea otter is listed as endangered by Washington state and threatened by the Canadian Committee for the Status of Endangered Wildlife. They are candidates for extirpated, endangered, or threatened status in British Columbia (red list).