Species Recovery, Sea Otters

Sea otters once ranged from Baja California to the Aleutian Islands, to the Kamchatka Peninsula, to the northern islands of Japan. The species remained abundant throughout its range until the mid-1700s when Russian explorers arrived in Alaska and harvested sea otters for their pelts. By the end of the commercial fur trade, worldwide numbers plummeted down to a total of 1,000-2,000, believed to be extinct in large parts of the Pacific Rim. In 1911, sea otters gained protection under the International Fur Seal Treaty. Today, they are estimated to be over 106,000 worldwide. Sea otters “remain endangered on the IUCN red list. Oil spills continue to be a major threat…. fisheries by catch causes unknown numbers of mortalities, and El Nino events can reduce food availability.”