California sea otter numbers rise sharply - survey
Date: 09-Jun-03
Country: USA
The U.S. Geological Survey said an annual survey over a five-day period in May spotted 2,505 sea offers off California's coasts, up substantially from 2,139 a year before.
"This is the highest total count and the highest count of adult and young adult sea otters, 2,270, since current standardized methods came into practice in 1983," USGS biologist Brian Hatfield said in a statement.
Sea otters were once found along much of the Pacific Rim coast but the animals were almost wiped out in the 18th and 19th centuries due to the fur trade. In April biologists warned of serious consequences for the species after they noticed a growing number of dead otters washing ashore in California.
"We're cautiously optimistic about the increase in sea otter numbers for this year, but elevated sea otter mortality is still hindering recovery," said Greg Sanders, an expert on sea otters for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "In the long run, we have to minimize deaths of these animals."
He said the increase in the number of sick and dead - which experts term 'stranded' otters - was likely linked to the larger overall number of the animals, especially in the Monterey Bay area. "The most likely explanation is that there were more otters off the Monterey coast which resulted in more strandings," he said.
