But if otter populations were established inside San Francisco Bay and out of the range of great whites, they would become the top predator and would likely thrive. In fact, a new study released today concludes that California could more than triple its population of southern sea otters, from an estimated 3,000 to nearly 10,000, by repopulating the largest estuary on the coast—the San Francisco Bay. Last modified: January 14, 2020 128.114.113.74, UC Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, Ca 95064. Because the censuses represent uncorrected total counts (rather than sample-based surveys), they cannot be considered as accurate estimates of true population abundance. The spring 2019 mainland sea otter count began on May 1 and was completed by July 9. Sources: Doroff, A. Population Historically, sea otters numbered between 150,000 and 300,000 animals throughout the Pacific Rim. One of the few wildlife species well-adapted to urban environments, otters are popular enough in the Garden City to be featured in David Attenborough’s Wild City documentary about Singapore in 2015, as well as in BBC Earth’s Wild Cities in 2019. The range-wide census is conducted to monitor trends in abundance of the southern sea otter, and thus provide State and Federal resource agencies with the information they need for effective management. Sexual Violence Prevention & Response (Title IX). // Jessica Saavedra The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T7750A21939518. Southern sea otters, also called California sea otters, live in waters along the California coastline, ranging from San Mateo County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. 2015. “Otters really can’t get past the gauntlet.”. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. All of our Coverage From the 2019 Sea Otter Classic. Along with Sonoma State University, this study was a result of extensive collaboration between researchers and managers from the U.S. May 20 - 23, 2021 Monterey, California, USA. CALIFORNIA SEA OTTER POPULATION ANNUAL SURVEY – survey history and methodology . Using existing studies and modeling of sea otter growth, the researchers concluded that the San Francisco Bay could support about 6,600 sea otters, more than twice the current estimated population of 3,000. By Gear Patrol. “For the conservation of the sea otter, this would be huge.”. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have been managed under international law longer (starting in 1911) than most marine mammal species (Figure 1).However, science and conservation-based management decisions began about 60 years ago, and much of the research on sea otters in the United States has occurred since the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. “Elkhorn Slough’s protected habitats provide a special haven for sea otters, as well as remarkable opportunities for studying them,” said Wasson, who is research coordinator for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. “It would change the game in terms of how we look at sea otter conservation,” Hughes said. The surface canopies of kelp (predominantly, Annual California Sea Otter Census: 2019 Census Summary Shapefile, Annual California Sea Otter Census: 2019 Extra Limit Observations Shapefile, Annual California Sea Otter Census: 2019 Range Extent Shapefile, Click on title to download individual files attached to this item, Annual California sea otter census - 2019 spring census summary.xml, Build Version: 2.169.0-62-g42d95ae-0 Aleutian Islands was once home to around 80 percent of all the sea otters around the world. Overall, southern sea otters have only recolonized about 13 percent of their historic range, according to the study. By Gear Patrol. ©2020 Regents of the University of California. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-sea-otters-genetic-diversity-threatened.html The authors of these data require that data users contact them regarding intended use and to assist with understanding limitations and interpretation. Southern sea otter status as indicated by recent surveys and strandings Brian Hatfield Population status 2:30pm Washington northern sea otters: population and causes of mortalities summary Deanna Lynch Population status 2:50pm A Bayesian model of Washington sea otter population dynamics Jessica R. Hale Population status 3:10pm The surface canopies of kelp (predominantly Macrocystis pyrifera) were qualitatively noted by observers to be much less than the seasonal normal in the central portions of the range (from Monterey to Cayucos) and about normal near both ends of the range. There's hope for the endangered southern sea otter population, according to a study out of Sonoma State University that predicts the population could more than triple from about 3,000 to … “But this is based on studies and observations made while these populations were in sharp decline. There were about 474 stranded otters in 2016. Brent Hughes, assistant professor of biology at Sonoma State, is the lead researcher in a new study concluding that California could more than triple its population of southern sea otters. It would essentially end up lifting the sea otter out of its endangered species status,” said Brent Hughes, assistant professor of biology at Sonoma State and lead, . Early accounts by Spanish explorers noted otter populations as far south as San Jose and as far north as Richardson Bay. “Sea otters were associated with kelp forests only because the surviving southern sea otters off of Big Sur were in that habitat; if you go back in history, you’d be as likely to think of otters as salt marsh and seagrass animals, and indeed, there used to be more in San Francisco Bay than the entire southern population size now.”, The dogma, widely reinforced in both the scientific and popular media, is that sea otters do best in saltwater kelp forests,” said Brian Silliman, Rachel Carson associate professor of marine conservation biology at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a partner in the study. Your place to keep tabs on all the big bicycling news being made just outside of Monterey, California. This “may be an artifact of where the surviving population persisted,” they concluded in their paper, titled “Species recovery and recolonization of past habitats: Lessons for science and conservation from sea otters in estuaries.”, “The dogma, widely reinforced in both the scientific and popular media, is that sea otters do best in saltwater kelp forests,” said Brian Silliman, Rachel Carson associate professor of marine conservation biology at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a partner in the study.