Federally protected sea otters continue to disappear from the California coast at an alarming rate. A recent U.S. government count reveals the population of Southern, or California, sea otters has fallen to 2,139 animals, almost 7% less than in 2000, a loss that will have a ripple effect on the area's marine ecosystem.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) counted the sea otters this spring in a survey area of roughly 375 miles of California coastline, from Half Moon Bay to Santa Barbara. The count in 2000 was 2,317, while the spring 2001 count totaled 2,161 animals. The population reached a modern-day peak of 2,377 sea otters in 1995, but has since declined by an average of 1.4% per year.

Although all sea otters in the United States are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), Southern sea otters are the only species also listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). They have also been afforded "fully protected status" under California state law.

The HSUS and other organizations, however, are concerned that the population is not receiving the actual protections due under law. This is largely because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has failed to complete an up-to-date recovery plan—which is required under the ESA—for approximately 20 years. Although two drafts of the plan have been distributed for comments, neither has been finalized despite the continued decline in the Southern population.

According to the USGS, this decline is further evidenced by a relatively high number of dead otters who have washed ashore since 1995. As of May 2002, biologists had already documented 92 strandings. "Of special significance is the loss of young and prime age adults needed to replace mature otters. Young adults are dying at a high rate," says Dr. Jim Estes, a research ecologist at the USGS Western Ecological Research Center in Santa Cruz.

Reasons for this decline appear to include exposure to contaminants (which contributes to disease), entrapment in fishing gear (both nets and traps), habitat degradation, and starvation due to depleted food resources. The population faces the additional threats of an increased risk of oil spills and exposure to oil and gas development and exploration.

What's more, the otters are being illegally shot. The most recent incident occurred near San Simeon in San Luis Obispo County. The HSUS and other organizations have offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the killing of this and three other dead sea otters found since 2000.

The HSUS has worked with other groups for years to urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to produce a useful and reasonably current recovery plan for this population. The agency's failure to do so jeopardizes this population's ability to survive and doesn't protect otters to the degree that the law warrants.

"The FWS and the Department of the Interior must also allocate the necessary funds needed to adequately study the Southern population's decline, so that it may be reversed before we lose this fragile and important subspecies," says Dr. Toni Frohoff, marine mammal consultant for The HSUS. "Sea otters are considered a keystone species, playing a pivotal role in the maintenance of healthy marine ecosystems along the California coast. Losing them will mean losing much of what is held dear in this unique coastal environment."