Being such a valuable member of the environmental support system makes the otter’s protected status all the more vital. Sea urchins can wipe out a kelp forest so, by eating the sea urchins, otters are keeping the kelp healthy. Washington still, however, lists the sea otter as an endangered species, and it is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act The geology of the Washington Coast prevents sea otters from living between the Quinault River and the Columbia River, understandable when you realize their habitat needs are rocky shallows. In fact, they are now recognised as being … https://reefnation.com/sea-otters-endangered-species-profile The Sea Otter is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). Today the species is protected under the Endangered Species Act & Marine Mammal Protection Act. As sea otters don’t eat any animals known to harbor Toxoplasma, scientists think run-off from land carries the oocyts into the ocean where otters can then become exposed. Sea Otters: After reading, Emotions for the Oceans: The Beauty of it All, Marissa DeVogel developed a step by step plan about how we as humans can help protect our local and global sea otters. With resplendent, thick fur, otters were voraciously hunted until not a single one could be seen along the California coast. Sea otters use rocks to crack open the spiny shells of sea urchins. The southern sea otter was believed to be extinct, and otters in Alaskan waters were similarly imperiled. Sea otters had have been listed as endangered for a long time. Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) is an advocacy group, founded in 1968, dedicated to actively working with state and federal agencies and other groups to maintain, increase and broaden the current protections for the sea otter, a species currently protected by state and federal laws, and with two geographic populations on the Endangered Species list. Without otters to keep them in check, urchins and their compatriots grew in size and abundance. Sea Otters were found in a great arc around the North Pacific: from northern Japan via the coastlines of the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, Com-mander and Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California, south to the vicinity of Cedros Island, Mexico. Cat litter flushed down toilets may be a small contributor to otter infection if it is discharged into the ocean from water treatment plants. If the species dies out, Sea Otters are threatened by both human problems as well as natural problems. Their playful personalities, ingenuity and furry little whiskered faces are enough to melt the heart of just about anyone.However, one otter’s true resourcefulness became quite apparent back in 2016 when she entered the Monterey Bay Aquarium to give birth to her pup. sea otter Enhydra lutris in Canada, prepared under contract with Environment Canada, overseen and edited by Dr. Andrew Trites, Co-chair ... otters and their habitat are also protected from being hunted, trapped or killed under the Fisheries Act and … Sea otters eat urchins and many other sea foods, and without them the food chain would corrupt. They are at great risk of extinction due to many reasons such as fur trade, shark attacks, habitat degradation, oil spills ,fishing nets, disease and being viewed as competition. Native people harvested Sea Otters They also have a reduced population size, which puts them in danger of becoming extinct. There is a much larger population of sea otters found in Alaska, and some are still found in Russia as well. Photograph: Noel Hendrickson/Getty Images. According to the U.S. Sea otters are listed as an endangered species because they are vulnerable to oil spills from ships and coastal tanker traffic. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. SAVING THE SEA OTTER. Because of their highly coveted fur pelts, they were almost wiped out in the 1930s in spite of being protected … Sea otters have been around for such a long time, and it would be terrible if they went extinct. lifetime. Sea otters were once found from Mexico to Alaska, and even Japan. While they so have some natural predators, it is the threat from man that is the most dire. Sea otters are safe from harassment in their kelp bed homes along the coast. Over time, this led to both the loss of the kelp forests, and to the exploitation of these same tasty invertebrates by human predators. For instance, you probably did not know this but without sea otters, there would be no more kelp beds and the urchin population would grow and grow. Sea otters have got to be one of the most adorable creatures on planet earth. Male sea otters are very aggressive during mating season. Their food supply is protected so that when they dive for sea urchins, abalone or crabs they won’t come up empty handed. What’s great about the bay being a sanctuary is that people can’t bother the marine animals and plants. Marissa points out that kayaks and too much human interaction can disrupt normal eating and sleeping habits of California otters.… Read More Sea otters are voracious predators of large invertebrates such as urchins, crabs, and clams. The Southern Sea Otter & Southwest Stock of Northern Sea Otters in Alaska are both listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The Sea Otter was hunted to near extinction in the 19th century. Currently, the California population of about 3,300 individuals range from Half Moon Bay to Point Conception. Sea otters are important marine animals that balance out the underwater ecosystem. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. Fish and Wildlife Service, sea otters have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. Sea Otters are threatened to become extinct and are currently being protected by multiple conservation organizations as well as by the government that passes laws. Sea otters are a highly endangered marine mammal. Other species as natural problems meaning their role in their environment has a greater than... 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