The Commission will continue to review any new 

 information on the Caribbean monk seal that may become 

 available. 



The California Sea Otter Population (Enhydra lutris) 



Because of its small size and limited distribution, the 

 remnant sea otter population along the central coast of 

 Caliiorni,^ is vulnerable to oil spills and other catastrophic 

 events. For these reasons, the population was designated as 

 threatened under the Endangered Species Act in January 1977. 

 The most effective way to reduce the threat from such events 

 is to establish one or more sea otter colonies outside the 

 population's present range. While such an action could 

 adversely affect commercial and recreational fisheries for 

 abalone, clams, and other invertebrate species eaten by sea 

 otters, as well as protect sea otters, it also could reduce 

 populations of sea urchins and other herbivores that sea 

 otters eat, and thus enhance the growth of kelp, a product of 

 commercial significance that also provides habitat for 

 certain finfish species of recreational and commercial 

 importance. 



To facilitate protection and recovery of the California 

 sea otter population while minimizing possible adverse 

 effects on commercial and recreational fisheries, the 

 Commission, in December 1980, recommended that the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service adopt and implement a management strategy 

 recognizing the ultimate need for "zonal" management of sea 

 otters and the need to establish one or more sea otter 

 colonies at a site or sites not likely to be affected by an 

 oil spill in or near the population's present range. The 

 Fish and Wildlife Service concurred with the Commission's 

 recommendation and incorporated the zonal management concept 

 into the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan, which it adopted 

 in February 1982. 



Past Commission efforts to facilitate development and 

 implementation of an effective Southern Sea Otter Recovery 

 Plan are described in previous Annual Reports. The Commis- 

 sion's activities in this regard in 1986 are summarized 

 below. 



Incidental Take 



The incidental take of sea otters was unrecognized when 

 the California sea otter population was designated as 

 threatened in 1977. Documentation of the existence and 

 possible significance of the problem was provided by the 

 California Department of Fish and Game and others in 1982. 

 In that year, the Commission provided funds to the California 



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