Sea Otter
Decline
in southwest Alaska
 Precipitous
declines in sea otter populations in southwest Alaska constitute the
most significant conservation issue for the northern sea otter since
commercial fur trades. These figures show results from recent population
surveys.
For more information:
When
recent surveys demonstrated the decline, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service responded by:
- continuing to monitor southwest Alaska sea otters;
- designating the southwest Alaska population as threatened under the Endangered Species Act;
- planning the future direction for research and monitioring by hosting
a workshop for sea otter experts to share information and ideas about
causes for the decline;
- working cooperatively with the Alaska SeaLife Center (grant agreement
) to conduct research on sea otters in southwest Alaska and the adjacent
Russian Commander Islands, where sea otters apparently have not declined.
Last updated: September 10, 2008
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