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Sea Otter Awareness Week
Over 100 years ago, sea otters disappeared from Oregon as a result of
the fur trade. Now, a group of conservation organizations has launched research with the goal of eventually bringing sea otters back to the state.
The Seattle Aquarium, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Elakha Alliance and Wildlife
Conservation Network’s (WCN) Sea Otter Fund are collaborating to generate new data on
how sea otters—or their absence—affects coastal ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.
The researchers will explore conditions along Oregon’s coastline, where sea otters have vanished, and Washington’s coastline, where sea otters were reintroduced in 1970s and have been gradually growing in population since.
“Sea otters provide powerful benefits to their environment,” says Dr. Shawn Larson, senior
conservation research manager at the Seattle Aquarium. “When otters are present, kelp forests and eelgrass meadows thrive. There is more food for other animals in the system, and the system itself is more resilient to climate change.
That is what we would hope and expect to see if they are reintroduced in Oregon.”
The Aquarium, a global leader in sea otter conservation research for over 30 years, is
conducting the research in partnership with Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Elakha Alliance
and with funding from WCN’s Sea Otter Fund. Research will span through the end of 2028.
“This collaboration provides us an incredible opportunity to learn from two coastal environments in the Pacific Northwest—one where sea otters have been absent for generations and another where they have returned and are once again part of the marine ecosystem,” says Jane Bacchieri, Elakha Alliance Executive Director.
“By comparing the conditions of these coastal habitats, we can better understand the ecological changes associated with the presence and absence of sea otters and build a stronger scientific foundation for restoration in Oregon. This work is an important step toward understanding what a future with sea otters back on the Oregon coast could look like.”
“Understanding the potential impacts of sea otters on Oregon’s nearshore ecosystem starts with having strong baseline data before any action is taken,” says Jim Burke, Director of Animal Care at Oregon Coast Aquarium. “The Oregon Coast Aquarium’s scientific dive team brings years of experience working in Oregon waters, and combining that local knowledge with ROV technology and interpretive software gives us a much more complete picture of what is happening below the surface.
This is a collaborative effort that brings together different institutions, technologies, and areas of expertise so that future decisions are based on the best information available. We see this as much more than a three-year project. Our hope is to continue this work into the next decade and beyond, so that if sea otters are reintroduced to Oregon, we can document and better understand changes before, during, and long after their return.”
“Right now, we need an underwater baseline to track the impacts of sea otters as they come
home,” says Dr. Jen Miller, Director of the Sea Otter Fund. “After reintroduction, we expect to
see sea otters rebuild the ecological resilience of our coasts. But we won’t see the change
unless we start the science now.”
What would happen if sea otters returned to the Oregon coast? To answer this question, the
researchers will spend the next three years gathering data on both non-inhabited coastal
Oregon environments and coastal Washington environments where sea otters are present
today. They’ll compare the two locations to understand how the presence of otters affects the
populations of other marine species and the overall condition of the seafloor.
Working in both states, teams will use scuba divers and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
They will measure the abundance of sea otter prey, including urchins, crabs and abalone, and will capture thousands of images of rocky reef and soft-sediment habitats in both locations.
Through the partnership, a team from the Seattle Aquarium, which has operated a successful ROV program since 2022, will train and advise a team at Oregon Coast Aquarium, as it develops its first-ever ROV program to support the work. That training is already underway.
“Because the marine environments in Washington and Oregon are similar, comparing the two locations gives us valuable information on the potential benefits of restoring sea otters to
Oregon,” says Dr. Zachary Randell, senior research scientist at the Seattle Aquarium and
leader of the Aquarium’s ROV program. “What’s exciting is that this kind of project has never
been done before with ROVs.”
This regional approach to monitoring the marine environment doesn’t just enable comparisons. It will also help establish critical baseline data in Oregon ahead of a potential sea otter reintroduction down the road. And the data will help researchers distinguish sea otter-driven changes from changes connected to other environmental factors.
The team plans to share findings widely with government, Tribal and other conservation
partners in Washington, Oregon and the broader Pacific Coast region.
“We are eager to build new partnerships and share our learnings to support coastal
communities throughout the region in meeting today’s ecological and conservation challenges,” Dr. Randell says.
While a potential sea otter reintroduction would be years away, this research will provide a
critical foundation for it. It will also contribute credible, detailed information that will allow for
informed and collaborative discussions around reintroduction. The partners leading this work also envision that ROV monitoring of coastal conditions will continue beyond the project’s three-year timeline, ultimately documenting ecological changes before, during and after a sea otter reintroduction.
Local events celebrating Sea Otter Awareness Week
Sept 24th – Sea Otter Bingo at Claim 52 Bayfront (6pm-8pm), Newport, OR
Sept 26th – Sea Otter Viewing Station at Oregon Coast Aquarium (10am-5pm) Newport, OR
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