Sea Otter Awareness
September 27, 2011
Sea Otter Awareness Schedule
Sunday, September 25 and Saturday, and October 1
Lobby – Sea Otter Station – Learn all about the sea otter
Sea otter craft
Public sea otter feedings at 10:30 am, 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm
The last sea otter in Oregon was trapped near Newport in 1906. Sea otters once ranged in number along the coasts of the North Pacific, from Russia and northern Japan, throughout the Aleutians, down the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia, to as far south as Baja. Scientists estimate up to 300,000 sea otters once inhabited this area. That changed in 1741 when traders realized that sea otter pelts were sought after for the unusually dense fur that enables them to survive in cold seas without the blubber of whales or sea lions. Of the three remaining subspecies of sea otters around the world, two are found here in North America: the southern, or California sea otter and the northern sea otter. The third subspecies is the Russian sea otter.
Sea otters play a critical role in the marine ecosystem as a keystone species. They promote a healthy kelp forest that, in turn, supports thousands of organisms. Sea otters are also an indicator or sentinel species. They are dying of diseases that have land-based connections. Since humans and sea otters eat many of the same seafood items, high rates of sea otter disease may be a warning for both human health and marine ecosystem health.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium has participated in a sea otter breeding loan program with the Seattle Aquarium. Two sea otter pups born there are the offspring of Adaa, who was sent to Seattle on breeding loan from the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Adaa’s first pup, a male named Chugach, was born in 2005, to Aniak who was a first time mother. The second pup, named Alki, also a male, was born in 2005 to Lootas.
“The Oregon Coast Aquarium is very fortunate in having the largest sea otter exhibit in North America,” said Jim Burke, Aquarium Director of Animal Husbandry. “We currently display four male sea otters, including both northern and southern sea otters,” Burke said.