1. Sea Otters Puns ignored in the making of this title include: This That and the Otter, Otterly Fascinating, The Otter Side, Otter-wise, The Otter Woman, Like No Otter, In Otter Words, …By Any Otter Name, Do Onto Otters…, In One Ear and out the Otter, On the Otter Hand, Put One Foot in Front of the Otter, Six of One Half-Dozen of the Otter, The Shoe’s on the Otter Foot, Turn the Otter Cheek, The Kelp is Always Greener on the Otter Side of the Fence.

2. Water weasels Mammalia  Carnivora  Mustelidae Mustelids (65 spp.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgk94Wgz4OQ

3. A group is called a…. RAFT!

4. Famous for fur Densest fur of any mammal –Up to 650,000 - 1 million per sq. inch –We have 100,000-250,000

5. Grooming machines Up to 48% of the time! No blubber Oil spills –Ingestion –Hypothermia

6. Oil spills Especially vulnerable –Coastline populations (near people) –Steady vessel traffic

7. Oil spills Exxon Valdez –1989 –11 tons of crude oil (10.8 million gallons) –Killed ~2,800 sea otters –Killed ~ 100,000-250,000 sea birds BP oil spill (Gulf of Mexico) –172 million gallons

8. WA Oil spill prevention/response Partners and cooperators: –Industry –Makah Tribal Fisheries –Quinault Indian Nation –Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary –Seattle Aquarium –Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium –State and federal agencies US Fish & Wildlife Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife

9. Foraging frenzy 25% body weight/day Varied diet including: –Abalone, bivalves, snails, cucumbers, urchins, sea stars, worms, octopus, squid, crab, fish and fish eggs, birds? –Pit pockets

10. Cool tools Rocks Other shells Docks Boats Bottles

11. Population status Pre-hunt – 150,000 – 300,000 –(2007) ~ 107,000 Southern/California –Listed as ‘Threatened” (ESA)- 2,200-2,800 –Listed as “Endangered” (IUCN) Northern/Alaskan –Alaska, Russia, Canada, Washington –??? Oregon (newly established) –SE Alaska (Distinct population group) “Threatened”

12. Washington population Just over 1000 –59 Reintroduced in 1969 and 1970 –Outer coast – mostly south of LaPush –Some sightings in San Juans –2012 – 1 in South Sound

13. Where are they in WA? Olympic Nat’l Park (mostly) –Ya gotta hike….but might be worth it! –Sand Point –Cape Flattery –Cape Johnson –Cedar Creek/Norwegian Memorial –Yellow Banks –south of LaPush –Giant Graveyard –north of the Hoh River near Diamond Rock

14. Point Grenville Pillar Point

15. Sea otter recovery plan 2004 - WA Fish & Wildlife –Implement strategies to ensure self- sustaining sea otter population –Manage current population in a manner consistent with – Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) Federal and State laws Court rulings Federal treaties with Native American Tribes

16. California sea otters: a gap in the Point Reyes ecosystem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j ORLckfzD80http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j ORLckfzD80

17. Kelp Forest Ecosystem Why are they important? –Food, shelter, nursery for 1000s of species –Protect shoreline by slowing wave impact –What else do forests do? –SEQUESTER CARBON!!!!

18. Microcystin toxin (CA) Freshwater cyanobacteria –Produced by a blue-green algae Monterey Bay (Estuary) –Rain runoff from 3 rivers – from Pinto Lake –High levels in shellfish –Liver damage –Tagging survivors

19. Cat (and opossum?) poop… Parasite (Toxoplasma gondii) –(17% of deaths/year) How? –Kelp naturally produce a sticky slime. –Parasite eggs stick to slime –Snails eat the kelp (or other seaweeds) –Otters eat the snails From –Offshore garbage (kitty litter), also outdoor pets and feral cats

20. Otters are the key(stone)

21. Otters vs. AK/BC Fisheries http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= wxUKFCg0UeQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v= wxUKFCg0UeQ

22. Our otters Nellie and Abra Kaladi Libby http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= wavh47RpLz4

23. Jazz hands!

25. An expensive fur coat Nearly extinct globally by 1900: