The sea otter, Enhydra lutris, historically occurred along the coast throughout much of the north and eastern Pacific Ocean. Fur trade harvest during the 18th and 19th centuries extirpated it from most of its range. Remnant populations survived in Russia, Alaska and California. Whereas the populations in Russia and Alaska are increasing and are now found throughout most of their former range, the population in California is still greatly reduced in range and number. The reasons for this lack of growth are unknown. Because of their reduced range and population size, the California sea otter population is more easily threatened by potential oil spills, accidental drownings in gill nets, and intentional killing of otters by man. In 1977, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the California sea otter population as threatened. A recovery plan has been developed which proposes to translocate California sea otters to establish one or more additional colonies. The more important management problems are: (1) identifying factors responsible for limited population growth, (2) determining the location and number of translocation sites, (3) minimizing the extent of conflict between sea otters and local shellfisheries, and (4) minimizing the risks from oil spills and other human activity.
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