Aptos Psychologist: What can people do about CA sea otters’ population not growing?

Put all your kitty’s cat litter in a securely tied bag. Make sure it goes to a land fill and not into Monterey Bay for otters to feed on.

There’s a new Santa Cruz, CA website dedicated to Otter-ly information. Check out seaotters.com based in Santa Cruz, CA.

To get off the Endangered Species List, sea otters must grow from 2,700 to 3,090. Their numbers have stayed steady instead of growing in recent years. Scientists wonder why. Various pollutants may contribute.

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“Southern sea otters have been listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act since 1977. While California sea otters have made a substantial recovery, decades of protection havenâ€t helped their population bounce back as dramatically as hoped. Annual surveys currently peg the California sea otter population at about 2,700 individuals, short of the minimum of 3,090 for 3 years running needed for delisting from the Endangered Species Act. Their numbers have hovered at 2,800 otters in recent years, and the current estimate represents a population dip instead of growth.

“What is behind this population plateau? Scientists have pinned the cause on too many deaths of mature adults, especially females who should be producing pups. However, understanding why otters are dying is far from straightforward. No single factor jumps out as the most important cause of California sea otter deaths. Rather, scientists have discovered that otters encounter a complex and deadly cocktail in contaminated waters, and many are dying from the combined onslaught of diseases, parasites, and toxic compounds.