Can sea otters make a comeback in Marin?

Marinscope

Would you like to see the Marin shoreline re-populated with those cute, playful enhydra lutris?

Enhydra lutris – sea otters – used to be everywhere along the Northern California and Oregon coasts until they were hunted to near extinction. But now there’s a new federal report raising the possibility of bringing back the little critter.

Not everyone likes the idea. 

Otters feed on Dungeness crab. Humans like Dungeness crab, too. If otters came back in big numbers, commercial fishing may not be able to economically compete. 

But the study, commissioned by the U.S. Congress concludes that expanding otter populations to the California coastline would be good for the species. 

“While the assessment indicates that reintroduction of sea otters to portions of the West Coast of the contiguous United States is feasible, additional information and stakeholder input are needed to help inform any future reintroduction proposal,” the report concludes. 

By stakeholders, the report means commercial fisherman.

“They really need to think this through,” Mike Conroy, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations in San Francisco told the San Jose Mercury News recently. “These ecosystems have evolved without the presence of sea otters for 200 years. If this isn’t thought out, it could be disastrous.”

There are an estimated 3,000 otters along the California coast. The federal report says if more otters were to be reintroduced it should be done in small numbers over a long period of time. 

Back in the day, the Marin coastline teemed with otters. The California coast supported more than 16,000. But fur traders in the 1800s hunted them to near extinction. By the Gold Rush they were all but gone. In the 1930s only about 50 could be found, mostly in the Big Sur area.

“If sea otters are reintroduced to northern California and Oregon, it would benefit both otters and the nearshore marine ecosystem,” said Craig Rowland, acting state supervisor for the Service’s Oregon office. “Additional work is needed to evaluate the possible impacts of a potential reintroduction as well as measures to offset these impacts. While we anticipate an overall socioeconomic benefit to coastal communities, we also recognize that some local shellfish fisheries could be affected.”  

At this point, there is no active proposal to reintroduce sea otters. Assessment of feasibility is the first step in any reintroduction effort, but it is not a reintroduction proposal. 

“In the future, should there be a move to formally propose the reintroduction of sea otters,” the report says, “the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would need to initiate a National Environmental Policy Act review process that includes public review and engagement, including input from a broad range of stakeholders, prior to any formal decision.”