Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris ) 



The small remnant population of sea otters in California 

 could be reduced substantially by oil spills or other 

 catastrophic events and, for this reason, was designated 

 "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act in January 

 1977. The possibility of the population being endangered by 

 an oil spill or other catastrophic event could be reduced by 

 establishing one or more sea otter colonies outside the 

 population's present range. Such an action could adversely 

 affect certain commercial and recreational fisheries, however, 

 since sea otters eat abalone and other shellfish of commercial 

 or recreational value. 



To facilitate protection and restoration of the California 

 sea otter population, while minimizing possible adverse 

 effects on commercial and recreational shellfish fisheries, 

 the Commission, in December 1980, recommended that the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service, the responsible management agency, 

 adopt and implement a management strategy recognizing the 

 ultimate need for "zonal" management of sea otters and the 

 need to establish at least one additional group of sea 

 otters at a site not likely to be affected by an oil spill 

 occurring in or near the population's present range. The 

 Commission also repeated an August 1979 recommendation that 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service compile and map biological, 

 ecological, and socio-economic information bearing on the 

 selection of possible translocation sites. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service concurred with the 

 Commission's recommendation concerning zonal management and 

 the concept is reflected in the Southern Sea Otter Recovery 

 Plan adopted by the Service in February 1982. The Service 

 also concurred with the Commission's recommendation concerning 

 the need to compile and map information bearing upon the 

 selection of possible translocation sites and, as noted in 

 the Commission's previous Annual Report, contracted with a 

 private consultant in September 19 81 to do the work. 



The Service constituted a Technical Review Team, including 

 representatives of the Commission, the Minerals Management 

 Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and 

 several other agencies and organizations to help overview 

 conduct of the mapping project. The review team met on 21 

 May and 29 October 1982. Following the May review, the 

 Commission determined that a number of questions concerning 

 the availability, reliability, and interpretation of certain 

 data could best be resolved by on-site examination of those 

 areas which the contractor tentatively had identified as 



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