Submission (#3285) Approved

I am lucky enough to live near the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which hosts a number of animals native to the California coast! A lot of these animals live in very delicate ecosystems that have unfortunately been disrupted by human activity. But, fortunately enough, California has done a lot to protect many of these species as they recognize how special and delicate their ecosystem is.

One such animal is the sea otter! Specifically, the southern sea otter. These little creatures, while not only adorable, they are also very important! Sea otters play an important role in keeping the balance in the kelp forests they live in. These little guys love to munch on sea urchins, which helps to keep the balance between all of the plant life growing in the kelp forests by promoting the growth of eel grass! They also eat lots of other things, such as crabs, snails, clams, abalone, mussels and other invertebrates. Southern sea otters actually don't tend to eat fish, though their northern counterparts, found in Alaska, do!

Here on the California coasts sea otters are strongly protected. In 1911 it was made illegal to hunt sea otters after their numbers dipped significantly due to commercial hunting starting in the mid 1700s. At that time, there was only one colony of about 50 sea otters living on the California coast. By 1972, there were an estimated 1,000 or more of them living on the coast, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted. They were listed as an endangered species in 1977, and a recovery plan was adopted in 1982. Under this recovery plan, animals could be taken off of the list if their population levels sat at or over 3,090 over a period of at least three years. In 2016, the population seemed to peak at 3,272, but unfortunately has dropped since, with the most recent estimate in 2019 sitting at just 2,962. It's currently not understood exactly why this decline has been happening, though some theories include disease, harmful algae blooms, and shark attacks.

In California, it is illegal to touch or in any way mess with a sea otter, and it is considered harassment. This includes anything that would be considered to disturb their usual behavioral patterns. It is also unlawful to “harass, hunt, capture, kill, collect or injure, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.” These laws all help keep sea otters safe especially as they live in such close proximity to humans.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has also played an important role in the conservation of sea otters. They serve to rescue and provide a home for otters which have been injured or who for any other reason cannot live in the wild. They currently house five otters, who also act as surrogate mothers, companions, or mentors to other otters that they may be raising or rehabilitating at the time. These adorable otters are on display at the aquarium and the aquarium runs many programs every day where they teach the public about them and why their conservation is so important. They even have a live sea otter cam that runs almost every day so you can watch them swim, play, and be cute!

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/globalassets/mba/images/animals/marine-mammals/sea-otters-ivy-kit-nd15-007.jpg?width=896&height=598&mode=crop&format=webp&quality=60

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/globalassets/mba/images/animals/marine-mammals/sea-otter-toy-tr18-0966.jpg?width=896&height=598&mode=crop&format=webp&quality=60

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/globalassets/mba/images/animals/marine-mammals/sea-otter-wild-kiliiiyuyan16-033.jpg?width=936&height=623&mode=crop&format=webp&quality=60

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/globalassets/mba/images/animals/marine-mammals/sea-otter-water-tr20-0190.jpg?format=webp&quality=60

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/globalassets/mba/images/animals/marine-mammals/sea-otter-pup-surrogate-rw12-451.jpg?format=webp&quality=60

SEA OTTER CAM! - https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams/sea-otter-cam