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The Recovery Report The Otter Project Newsletter - Summer 2002 Can We Save the Sea Otter?
We must save the sea otter. The sea otter deserves not just to survive, but to thrive. By controlling animals that would otherwise devastate kelp forests, the otter is essential to a healthy and productive nearshore ecosystem. The sea otter is so sensitive to problems in the marine environment that sea otter health is a yardstick of mans relationship with the sea. The sea otter is telling us there are serious problems ahead. As you will read in this newsletter, sea otters are getting skinnier, fewer pups are surviving, their tissues are laced with man-made chemicals, and they are dying of diseases often found in sewage. Then there are the smaller "leaks" in the population: Otters are dying in fish-traps and gill nets, and they are shot and run over by boats. Often, I think of The Otter Project as the little Dutch boy trying to plug leaks in the dike. Together, we are making some progress. On January 1, new rules took effect requiring restrictive otter excluding rings on fish traps. The Otter Project funded research demonstrating the need for these excluder rings. Many times, The Otter Project brought the need and the solution before the Fish and Game Commission. The Otter Project organized the support 16 local and international groups, members wrote letters and sent emails. Together, we were successful. Sea otters drown in gill nets along with marine birds, seals, and porpoise. Many organizations asked that gill nets be banned from nearshore waters, but The Otter Project was the only organization that followed the public hearings from location to location, testifying at each one. We were persistent and we won. If we are to save the sea otter, we need to do it together. We need active and contributing members. I believe that mans relationship with the sea is unhealthy. It is going to take a long time to cleanse the nearshore of our pollution and heal the wounds of abuse. Things will get much worse for the sea otter before they get better. We need everyones help, we need more fingers in the dike. The Otter Project is active: When an otter is shot, we say it is a bad thing and we mobilize people to keep an eye out. When scientists suspect sea otters are dying in fish traps, we write letters and attend meetings and we pay researchers to go out and collect the data to document the problem. When government agencies collect valuable data but lack the resources to share their information, we pay for scientific exchanges. And, when faced with declining sea otter populations and increasing evidence that pollution is a culprit, we pay the airfares, meal, and meeting costs to assemble North Americas leading scientists and to devise solutions. Saving the sea otter is worth the money and effort. The sea otter is a fascinating and magnificent animal, with an intrinsic right to co-exist. The sea otter is a "keystone species" adding diversity and productivity to the marine ecosystem. The sea otter is a reflection of our relationship with the natural world. The Otter Project is on the ground, and on the water, with the sea otters. We are the closest to the front line. By choosing to be a member and contributor to The Otter Project, you are standing with us, a little overwhelmed, finger in the leaking dike. I cannot begin to thank you for your help, encouragement, and support. Contaminants, Sea Otters, and Disease
This past February, The Otter Project hosted 20 scientists and agency managers in Santa Cruz, California, to discuss the impacts of chemical contaminants on the sea otter and to discuss a collaborative research strategy. Researchers from Purdue University, Michigan State University, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of California at Davis, Colorado State University, Smithsonian Institution, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Monterey Bay Aquarium participated. Agencies including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries Service, and US Geological Survey all contributed. A representative for US Congressman Sam Farr also attended. The conference was funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a generous donation from an Otter Project board member, and over $13,000 in contributions from The Otter Project membership. The first day of the meeting was devoted to presentations of published and unpublished sea otter research. Dr. Kathy Ralls of the Smithsonian reported the pup-to-independent ratio is decliningfewer pups survive to weaning (the consensus belief is that pups are born, but die before weaning). She reported that the weight to length ratio is decliningotters are getting thinner (some believe there is a lack of food, others believe environmental stress, perhaps disease, is the cause). And, she reported that the population declined in the mid to late 1990s and isat beststable at this time.
Days two and three focused on the creation of a collaborative research strategy. Consensus was reached on the ten-point research approach advanced by the working group. Estimated cost of the research is roughly $3 million over three years. The full research report will soon be available on The Otter Project website at otterproject.org. After the Conference What Can We Do? The Otter Project is now moving ahead to find funds for contaminant research. Three million dollars is too much to ask of our membership. So, we are looking to the membership to help us pursue grants from foundations and government agencies. We need to raise $12,000 to pay for staff time, plane tickets, and lodging in order to communicate the conference results and research needs to policy makers and funding agencies. Until an airtight case can be made that chemical contaminants are affecting the sea otter, we have slim hope of changing dredging, effluent, and chemical industry practices and standards. If research results indicate that toxic chemicals are contributing to the lack of recovery, the southern sea otter like the peregrine falcon and bald eagle could become a rallying point for significant environmental policy change. However, we cannot wait for a three-year research effort; we will continue to communicate the best information to policy makers. If chemical pollution is contributing to the sea otters decline, it will take many years to clean up. We must cooperate more fully with other research projects and with sea otter rehabilitation programs. Membership We are always looking for new members. If you know of someone who might be interested in the recovery of sea otters, please pass this newsletter on or send us their name and address. The Otter Project accepts any contribution. A suggested membership contribution is $25. We thank all contributions of $50 or more, with a sea otter poster suitable for framing. Members receive twice annual newsletters and Otter Yelp E-Alerts (E-Alerts are only sent if requested and only if an email address is provided). Privacy We do not share, sell, or trade our membership list with anyone. To build our membership, we rent lists from other organizations, but we do not reciprocate by providing our list. Wish List
Direct Mail Fundraising The adage of fundraising is, "If you never ask, you will never receive." So, we ask a lot. We ask for an annual membership donation. In addition, we send out appeals for special projects and additional funds two or three times a year. Because we have memberships becoming due all year long, sometimes, people receive multiple requests in the same month. We will never "drop" any contributor that has made a donation within a year. If you have specific contact wishes, just let us know and we will try to accommodate your request. Amazing Sea Otters Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are not the only otters that live in the sea. The Marine Otter, also known as the Sea Cat, lives in the kelp forests of coastal Chile and Peru. In addition, the Eurasian Otter, found throughout Europe and Asia, needs access to freshwater, but often forages in coastal areas. The sea otter is the smallest marine mammal, but is bigger than its close relatives, the weasels and skunks. Nevertheless, there is a longer otter: The Giant Otter, found in the rainforests of Brazil, can grow to over six feet long from nose to tail. How to Contact Us The Otter Project, Inc.
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Dr. Kurunthachalam Kannan, Michigan State, characterized sea otter tissues as having "very high" levels of DDT, PCB, and TBT (tributyltin). He reported that there is a statistical correlation between levels of PCB and TBT and disease in southern sea otters (sea otters that died of disease had significantly higher levels of these contaminants). Finally, Dr. Kannan presented new information evaluating the "risk" from chemical contaminants in southern sea otters. He applied EPA measures of "hazard quotient" (HQ) to his findings of contaminant levels in sea otters and other marine mammals. His team found that many sea otters, both individually and as a population are at high risk.