Sea Otter Awareness Week

Sea Otter at Oregon Coast Aquarium

The Elakha Alliance, an Oregon non-profit working to restore sea otters to the Oregon coast, invites the public to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week (SOAW) September 21–27, 2025. SOAW is facilitated by a coalition of organizations including Sea Otter Savvy, Defenders of Wildlife, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Elakha Alliance, all working together to inspire deeper awareness of these unique marine mammals, their ecological importance, and the challenges they face. In Oregon, the Elakha Alliance will collaborate with local partners - the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Fullerton Winery & Tasting Room, Artsea Craftsea, and 7 Devils Brewery - to host

in-person events that connect communities to sea otter conservation.

This year's theme, "Anchored in Hope,"provides a metaphor for optimism, stability, and security in a challenging world. Oregon’s 2025 Sea Otter Awareness Week activities (see www.elakhaalliance.org/events for details:

● Tuesday Sept 23rd, 12pm-1pm: Float Down the Coast Live Stream at the Oregon Zoo

● Wednesday Sept 24th, 6pm-8pm: Sea Otter Sip & Paint Night at Fullerton Wines (Portland)

● Thursday Sept 25th, 6pm-8pm: Sea Otter Sip & Paint Night at Fullerton Winery (Corvallis)

● Thursday Sept 25th, 7pm-9pm: Sea Otter Sip & Paint Night at 7 Devils Brewery (Coos Bay)

● Friday Sept 26th, 6pm-9pm: Artsea Craftsea Sea Otter Paint Night Benefitting Elakha Alliance (Newport)

● Saturday Sept 27th, 10am-3pm: Sea Otter Viewing Station & Education at Oregon Coast Aquarium (Newport)

Sea otters, once plentiful on the Oregon coast, were hunted nearly to extinction for their lush furs by the early 1900s. A few surviving animals in California and Alaska enabled the population of sea otters to rebound in some places. However, they remain absent in their former habitats on the Oregon and northern California coasts, a stretch of nearly 800 miles.

The Elakha Alliance’s mission is to to make Oregon’s marine and coastal ecosystems and communities more robust and resilient by restoring a healthy population of sea otters to the Oregon coast.

Feasibility studies completed in 2022 by the Elakha Alliance and the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that there would be ecological and economic benefits from returning sea otters to the region due to their importance in protecting kelp forests which are critical habitat for many marine species, including fish caught in commercial and recreational harvest. Additional studies indicate that the return of sea otters would provide economic benefits to Oregon coast communities, including boosts to travel and tourism

industries. To learn more, visit OregonSeaOtters.org or follow @ElakhaAlliance on Instagram.