AN OTTER INVASION IN MONTEREY BAY
If one playful otter splashing in the sea can brighten your day, imagine what 200 can do.
Large numbers of the beloved and charismatic sea otters have posted up in the kelp just off the shores of Cannery Row, drawing the attention of recreators, aquarium visitors and conservationists alike. Whether the otters are transient or permanent new residents remains to be seen.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium said they've counted up to 200 sea otters from Hopkins Marine Station to Monterey Harbor.
“It's not unusual to see groups of this size, it's just this really cool thing where people can now see it off the back deck of the aquarium or off the rec trail,” said Leilani Konrad, a research biologist in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's sea otter program who has the honor of being a regular otter counter.
According to Konrad, around 400 sea otters reside on the coast from Seaside to Point Lobos, and that population has remained fairly stable over the past few years. Konrad frequently observes large numbers of otters congregating further out in the ocean, but those big rafts usually aren't visible from shore.
“It is really fun,” she said. “I normally have to look through a massive telescope (to count them).”
Nobody can say for sure where they came from or why they chose Cannery Row. Some, but not all, otters are tagged, so it's impossible to track the entire population.
But Andy Johnson, who managed the Monterey Bay Aquarium's sea otter program for 20 years and now works for the national conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife, said it's normal for otters to move to calmer habitats during winter storms, especially harsh ones, like the ones last month.
Storms are tough on otters. It's hard to dive and snag clams from rocks in 30foot swells. It's also difficult to groom. Otters don't have blubber, so keeping their luxurious fur healthy is super important. And, as kelp beds get ripped up during storms, otters lose their anchors — and their protection from predators like sharks. So they migrate to more protected areas.
“Our little protected side of the Peninsula is a fairly good place (for refuge)” said Johnson.
Room for everyone?
The aggregation of animals is fun, but one thing researchers and conservationists have learned over time is that otters can change ecosystems — sometimes dramatically.
If one hungry otter can eat 10 to 15 pounds of seafood a day, imagine what 200 can do.
The voracious foragers eat 25 percent of their body weight every day, devouring snails, clams, crabs and sea urchins — resources that humans also like to eat.
Sea otters were driven nearly to extinction by fur traders from the 1700s to the 1900s.
In 1911, the Fur Seal Treaty outlawed capturing otters at sea and allowed the U.S. to regulate hunting on U.S. soil. Signed by Russia, Japan, Great Britain and the U.S., it was the first international treaty for wildlife conservation.
Since then, otter populations have bounced back (although they're still listed as a threatened species). About 3,000 sea otters currently live along California's Coast, a measly number compared to the rebound in the north.
According to the Marine
Mammal Commission, the most recent population estimates for Alaska are over 50,000 for the southwest stock, over 18,000 in southcentral stock, and over 25,000 for the southeast stock.
Some of those booming populations now compete with humans for seafood resources, which has caused conflict.
Southern sea otters, the kind we see around here, are smaller than the ones up north, but they still eat a lot. Females can weigh up to 50 pounds and males can weigh up to 70. Some worry that the local ecosystem may not be able to support the influx of otters for very long.
Keith Rootsaert, who founded the Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project and maintains a kelp restoration research site in the bay, said “I'm out in the water all the time and I have never seen that many sea otters congregating ever. I'm not the otter expert but I've read a lot and I've seen a lot, and my observation is that I see them desperately trying to forage.”
Rootsaert has been working hard to restore the kelp forests, and he is concerned that there's not enough kelp to support the influx of otters.
“There's a problem with the kelp forests around here, and regardless of where (the otters) came from, they're here. And they're gonna be here for a while. There's another storm right now, it's blowing like 40 knots right now. So, what are we going to do about their presence? They're gonna eat everything on the reef,” he said Tuesday.
Others say the influx is temporary, and the bay can handle it.
“There's no reason why we think that it should do any kind of detriment to the habitat,” said Konrad. “They do break off and go and forage in other places in these groups and then they come back and kind of re-aggregate to rest.”
“Our area tends to be at roughly carrying capacity,” said Johnson, “but for limited times, animals can move in.” He said that if an area does become overfished — the otters will likely follow the food. “My guess is that animals will recalibrate and shift areas again once the weather the sea conditions improve,” he said.
Konrad also noted that while the otters are here their normal habitats and foraging zones are getting a chance to recoup.
Rootsaert is concerned that there's not enough healthy kelp habitat down south for the otters to return to, and they can't go too much farther north because of sharks. He suspects the otters will be around for a while and could affect the local kelp habitats. “It's something that needs a lot of attention,” he said, “we can't just brush it off.”
Nobody knows how long the otters will stick around. And the dynamic ecosystem is complicated — getting answers to some of these questions will take time. “Conservation and research are super important in order for us to understand all these questions,” said Konrad.
Regardless of where the otters came from or how long they're staying, everyone agrees that it's important for viewers to give them space.
“They're wild animals and it's important, especially when they're resting in the kelp, and especially if they're tucked in from a storm, they're coming there for refuge,” said Konrad, “so ideally, everyone is going to give them their space and treat them with respect.”
Officials say kayakers should stay at least eight kayak lengths away and boaters should stay at least 10 boat lengths away. More information about how to view sea otters without disturbing them is available at www.seaottersavvy.org.