September 27th, 2009, marks the beginning of the 7th annual Sea Otter Awareness Week. Aquariums across the United States, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands are featuring a variety of activities, exhibits and educational events to raise awareness and bring attention to those utterly charming and charismatic mammals, the sea otters.
According to the Defenders of Wildlife, the 2009 spring population census revealed a slight decline in the California sea otter population, the first decline in nearly 10 years. Mortality rates have jumped and some researchers believe the otters’ food may contain deadly pathogens. Other threats to the otter population include oil spills, habitat degradation, disease, fishing gear entanglement and limited food supply.
Conservationists are urging the United States Senate to pass the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act (H.R. 556). The U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill earlier this year with a vote of 316 to 107. If approved, the bill will allocate $5 million annually for research and development for five years. Part of the money will help researchers discover what is causing sea otter deaths. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a pre-written letter you can email to your senator to urge him or her to support the Act.
Sea Otters
Sea otters, Enhydra lutris, members of the weasel family, eat about 25 percent of their body weight in food every day. The social mammals are meticulously clean. Males live from 10 to 15 years and females live from 15-20 years.
Considered Endangered by the IUCN Red List, sea otters are included in Appendix 1 of CITES. All sea otters in the USA are protected under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Hunted to near extinction for their fur, the world sea otter population dwindled to 1,000 to 2,000. Although sea otters remain vulnerable, due to successful conservation efforts the sea otter population has rebounded to about two-thirds its original numbers and is considered a marine success.
Be sure to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium sea otter cam for an up-close-and-personal glimpse into the life of a sea otter.
Sea otter photo Mike Baird CC
In response to your comment: “All sea otters in the USA are protected under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973″. This is un-true. Currently all of southern california (where otters currently and historically have lived) is considered a “No-Otter Zone”. While in this “Zone” otters are not protected under the Endangered Species Act. Crazy huh? To learn more visit our website http://www.otterproject.org/site/pp.asp?c=8pIKIYMIG&b=3929449#
Thanks for your passion for these cute critters. Check out our blog Sea Otter Scoop, or join our cause or fan our group on Facebook.
Cheers- Heather Cauldwell- The Otter Project.
Wonderful!