MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1995 



The Washington Sea Otter Population 



As noted above, sea otters historically ranged along 

 the North Pacific coast of the United States and 

 Canada from the Pribilof Islands in the north to 

 California in the south. During the 18th and 19th 

 centuries the species was extirpated from most of its 

 range. Between 1965 and 1972 Federal and state 

 agencies cooperated in a project to translocate sea 

 otters from Alaska to parts of the species' former 

 range. As part of this effort, in 1969 and 1970, 59 

 animals were translocated and released in waters off 

 the State of Washington. In 1995 it was estimated 

 that the population numbered about 360 individuals 

 occupying a small range off remote portions of the 

 Olympic Peninsula. The population is thought to be 

 growing at a rate of 15 to 20 percent annually and 

 within the next decade could expand into waters 

 supporting active shellfish and set-net fisheries. Based 

 on experience in Alaska and California, it can be 

 anticipated that this expansion will lead to conflicts 

 between sea otters and fisheries, as well as the in- 

 creased likelihood of incidental take of sea otters in 

 set-net fisheries. 



In order to anticipate and possibly avoid potential 

 problems involving the Washington sea otter popula- 

 tion, the Marine Mammal Commission provided 

 support in 1995 for an assessment of potential fisher- 

 ies conflicts in Washington State waters. During 1995 

 a draft report was provided to the Commission for 

 review. This is discussed further in Chapter X. 



The Alaska Sea Otter Population 



Small groups of sea otters survived the era of 

 commercial exploitation in several remote areas of 

 Alaska. Since then, sea otters have repopulated most 

 of their former range in Alaska although they have not 

 yet reached carrying capacity in some areas. No sea 

 otters survived in southeast Alaska, and repopulation 

 of the area was initiated by translocating otters from 

 Amchitka Island and Prince William Sound in the late 

 1960s and early 1970s. 



The best available data indicate that there currently 

 are 100,000 to 150,000 sea otters in Alaska. Al- 

 though the population is large and growing, there are 



a number of existing and foreseeable threats and 

 conservation issues. These include (1) conflicts with 

 commercial, subsistence, and recreational shellfish 

 fisheries that have developed in the absence of sea 

 otters; (2) incidental take in gillnet and other fisheries; 



(3) oil and gas development and transportation; 



(4) logging, mariculture, and other coastal develop- 

 ment; (5) Native subsistence hunting; and (6) the 

 increasing tourist industry in Alaska. 



The reality of these threats is illustrated by the 1989 

 Exxon Valdez oil spill, which directly killed 3,500 to 

 5,500 sea otters and may have affected many others 

 through contamination and destruction of food species. 



As described in past reports, the Commission 

 initiated efforts in 1984 to develop conservation plans 

 for sea otters and other marine mammals in Alaska. 

 Also as described in past reports, the Fish and Wild- 

 life Service completed and adopted conservation plans 

 for sea otters, walruses, and polar bears in 1994. 



Marking, Tagging, and Reporting Program — In 



1981 the Marine Mammal Protection Act was amend- 

 ed to give the Fish and Wildlife Service and the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service authority to pro- 

 mulgate regulations requiring the marking, tagging, 

 and reporting of marine mammals taken by Alaska 

 Natives. The purposes of the amendment were to 

 obtain better information on the numbers and species 

 of marine mammals taken for subsistence and handi- 

 craft purposes and to help control illegal trade in 

 products from those species. 



Marking, tagging, and reporting regulations were 

 issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service on 28 June 

 1988. They require that within 30 days of taking a 

 polar bear, walrus, or sea otter, Native hunters must 

 report the take to the Service and present specified 

 parts of the animal to be marked and tagged. Since 

 promulgating its regulations, the Service has worked 

 closely with Native groups and the State of Alaska to 

 implement the marking, tagging, and reporting pro- 

 gram. Data obtained from the program are main- 

 tained by the Service in a computerized database. 

 During 1995, 589 sea otters were presented for 

 marking and tagging by Alaska Natives. The number 

 of sea otters tagged for the years 1990 through 1994 

 were 166, 231, 637, 1,242, and 830, respectively. 



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