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California Sea Otter Stranding Network |
Since 1968 there has been an effort to document all sea otter strandings in California.
This effort was begun by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), but soon became
a multi-agency and multi-organization endeavor. The coordination of the sea otter stranding
network was transferred to USGS scientists in 1995. In addition to CDFG and USGS, the Monterey
Bay Aquarium, US Fish and Wildlife Service, California Academy of Sciences, Santa Barbara
Museum of Natural History, various city beach clean-up crews and others contribute by reporting
and/or retrieving carcasses. (Note: stranded live sea otters in California are reported to
and retrieved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium or The Marine Mammal Center and are included in the
stranding data set.)
Date, location, sex, age, and state of decomposition is collected on almost all carcasses, while
a more detailed necropsy is performed on those in good condition.
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