Endangerment
Sea Otters’ population originally was diminished by fur traders in the 19th and 20th centuries to make fur coats. Consequently, they are now ranked on the Endangered Species list. Currently, the primary death causes are gunshot wounds, shark bites, boat strikes, and getting caught in fishing nets. Sea Otters were put on the Endangered list in 2000 with their population slowly making a comeback following the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. However, even with laws protecting the otters, pollution still took a large toll on the recovery of the species. For example, oil spills leading their fur to get coated in oil, making an extremely toxic environment for the otters since they can ingest it while grooming their fur or get hypothermia because their fur can no longer hold air.
Before the fur trade, it was estimated that there were about sixteen thousand sea others off the pacific coast. Now the current population size today is about three thousand. This may sound bleak, but the population has made an enormous comeback since the beginning of the century. More and more Otters are being found in northern regions, like Alaska and even as close as San Francisco Bay.
