Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Sea otters don’t want roses or chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

Check out this video with our friend Philippe Cousteau to learn more about what you can do to help the threatened California sea otter.

If you live in California, the best way to show you care is to do your taxes early and donate to the California Sea Otter Fund, a vital lifeline supporting research and recovery programs for these furry marine mammals.

Californians must raise more than a quarter-million dollars this tax season for vital fund to reappear on tax forms again next year. Learn how you can contribute today at saveseaotters.org.

Defenders landed a big win for sea otter conservation.

It’s been a busy year for Defenders’ California office, but the hard work has resulted in a huge payoff for the Golden State’s wild ones. Here’s a recap of some key state successes:

Sea otter fund saved

Sea otters are threatened with extinction, but thanks to Defenders, an important lifeline keeping these charismatic marine mammals afloat remains intact.

We helped lead the charge to reauthorize the California Sea Otter Fund, which has collected more than $1 million over the past five years in donations from California taxpayers for scientific research and sea otter conservation. The critical fund was set to expire at the year’s end unless the California Legislature acted fast.

Defenders worked with Assemblyman Bill Monning and the Monterey Bay Aquarium to sponsor legislation (AB 971) reauthorizing the tax check-off fund for up to another five years.

We promoted the program through newspaper, TV and radio interviews, and public service advertisements featuring Philippe Cousteau, which were broadcasted on the airwaves and World Wide Web. The result: Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law on Sept. 1.

That ought to keep otter fans everywhere smiling.

Shark-finning: A fading fad?

Blue shark, courtesy of Mark Conlin, NOAA.

The brutal practice that sees millions of sharks killed solely for their fins each year may soon become a thing of the past–at least in California, the largest market for fins outside of Asia.

Hopefully, the fin ban (AB 376) will help to curb the growing appetite for shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese delicacy once enjoyed primarily by a small, privileged class that’s now become an international status symbol served up at special occasions such as weddings and business dinners.

What’s worse is that overfishing has caused some shark populations to plummet by as much as 99 percent, and many shark populations worldwide are in distress.

But beginning in the new year, the ban will come into effect in the Golden State, phasing out the selling and trading of fins over the next year and a half–making 2013 the year of the shark.

Harvesting the sun’s energy

Damaged croplands could have a second life as solar farms.

There’s no more debate: Climate change is real and it’s happening in a big way. And experts agree that we must quickly transition to clean energy sources, such as the sun and wind, to avoid the worst impacts of a warming world on people and wildlife alike.

But renewable energy projects can also carry a high price tag for the environment if they’re not designed to avoid destroying habitat or harming imperiled wildlife, like desert tortoise or golden eagles.

That prompted Defenders and a coalition of conservation and agriculture groups to work together to pass a new law (SB 618) aiming to make it easier and less expensive for renewable-energy developers to build commercial-scale solar power plants on degraded farms.

The idea is to drive development away from sensitive habitat on public lands and prime agricultural lands–all the while, giving damaged croplands a second life as solar farms.

Nine years running and still going strong. Defenders of Wildlife’s internationally recognized Sea Otter Awareness week kicked off on Sunday, Sept. 25 around the world with events and activities related to sea otter education and conservation.

The California sea otter population’s three-year average has been in decline in recent years, and awareness for the plight our playful marine friends face is even more critical this year than ever before.

But there’s hope on the horizon. The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to end the ‘no-otter’ zone off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. that calls for capture and relocation of sea otters that wander into these off-limit waters.

This move would give sea otters a chance to expand their range naturally into California’s southern waters—a necessary step if sea otters are to have a real shot at recovering to healthy numbers.

California sea otters face hurdles on the road to recovery: disease, habitat degradation, food scarcity, and as a recent study shows, exposure to freshwater toxins. The survival of the sea otter in California’s waters depends on public support and an increased understanding of the essential role sea otters play in nature.

Find out about Sea Otter Awareness Week events near you.

Help us save sea otters. Tell the Fish and Wildlife Service that you support dropping the “no-otter” zone in California. Learn how to submit comments at www.saveseaotters.org.

A win for wildlife! Earlier today, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB971, the pro-sea otter bill that Defenders co-sponsored with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This law reestablishes the California Sea Otter Fund on state income tax forms for another five years.

This fund is the main source for investigating the problems southern sea otters face in California through a great research collaborative that is studying many aspects of the population.

The following is a statement from Jim Curland, Defenders’ marine program associate:

“This is a great day for sea otters! We are very grateful to Assemblyman Bill Monning for introducing this legislation reestablishing the California Sea Otter Fund for another five years. This Fund is critical to understanding the problems facing sea otters in California and figuring out ways to recover and protect this fragile population. Defenders of Wildlife greatly appreciates Governor Brown signing this bill into law today.”

Read Assemblyman Monning’s Press Release (PDF) about this great success.

This blog post is a joint collaboration by Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Sea Otter, The Humane Society of the United States, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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. The plan 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.”

How you can help:

The Fish and Wildlife Service is scheduled to open its 60-day comment period in the next week or so. We will provide a link on our www.saveseaotters.org web page when it’s available so you can let the FWS know that you want the no-otter zone gone!

A weekly homage to endangered species, large and small

SOUTHERN SEA OTTERS

The densest fur in the animal kingdom belongs to one of the nation’s most beloved creatures—the sea otter. The southern sea otter, also called the California sea otter, is as much a part of the Golden State’s pride as killer waves and surf-n-turf diners.

Sea otters grow on average up to 4 feet long. The smaller females weigh about 45 pounds, while males can reach more than 60 pounds. Because they don’t have blubber like seals or whales to insulate them against the Pacific Ocean’s cold waters, sea otters rely on thick fur for protection against the elements.

Other than primates, sea otters are one of the few animals to use tools. They use rocks and other items from their environment like hammers to break into molluscs and other prey. They are naturally gifted hunters, perfectly adapted to their environment. Typically sea otters hunt in shallow waters of less than 60 feet, but they can dive more than 300 feet to forage the ocean floor. Because of their high metabolism, sea otters eat as much as 25 percent of their body weight each day.

Related: Live in California? Learn about the sea otter tax check off.

Despite their cunning, sea otters have remained on the list of endangered and threatened species since 1977. Originally, oil spills were considered the main threat to their survival. The sticky stuff mats their fur, diminishing its insulating abilities. And oily otters will eventually die from hypothermia or organ failure, and sometimes from swallowing oil when they try to groom themselves clean.

New findings, however, suggest there’s more foul play afoot. Since 1998, some 40-50  percent of sea otter deaths in California have been attributed to disease. While scientists say there’s no smoking gun exactly, the otter’s fondness for dining on filter feeders, like mussels and clams, could be partially to blame. These invertebrates tend to accumulate toxins from the water,  and when otters eat them, the poisons get passed along.

All-purpose Otters

Trouble for the sea otters could mean big problems for near-shore ecosystems. Sea otters keep sea urchins and other invertebrates populations in check, so they don’t devastate underwater kelp forests (large seaweeds). Kelp forests act as critical buffers against storms and provide habitat for an array of marine life — from fish to seahorses.  By locking up heat-trapping pollution like carbon dioxide, kelp forests also help in the fight against climate change.

Sea otters support life on-shore as well. As sea otter populations expand, economists predict otter-related tourism could provide up to 320  new jobs and an additional revenue of $1.5 million to $8.2 million over the next decade.

For cities like Monterey, California, the sea otter already provides huge economic boost. Evidence of the animal’s popularity is apparent throughout the Monterey Bay area, where otters adorns everything, from T-shirts and banners to mugs and posters.