Sea Otter Conservation

Sea otters are good indicators of ocean health. In addition, they are a keystone species, offering a stabilizing effect on ecosystem, controlling sea urchin populations that would otherwise inflict damage to kelp forest ecosystems. The kelp forest ecosystem is crucial for marine organisms and contains coastal erosion. With the concerns about the imperiled status of sea otter populations in California, Aleutian Archipelago and coastal areas of Russia and Japan, the last several years have shown growth of interest culturally and politically in the status and preservation of sea otter populations.

Sea Otter Conservation brings together the vast knowledge of well-respected leaders in the field, offering insight into the more than 100 years of conservation and research that have resulted in recovery from near extinction. This publication assesses the issues influencing prospects for continued conservation and recovery of the sea otter populations and provides insight into how to handle future global changes.

• Covers scientific, cultural, economic and political components of sea otter conservation
• Provides guidance on how to manage threats to the sea otter populations in the face of future global changes
• Highlights the effects that interactions of coastal animals have with the marine ecosystem

Dr. Shawn Larson received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Science. Shawn is the Senior Conservation Research Manager at the Seattle Aquarium. She has been working with sea otters for 28 years focusing on sea otter reproduction, population genetics, diet characteristics, nearshore ecology, and most recently the sea otter’s role in mitigating climate change. Dr. Larson has organized and run the Sea Otter Conservation Workshop in Seattle since 1999, serves as the Sea Otter Species Coordinator for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission’s Otter Specialist Group and co-edited Volume 1 of Sea Otter Conservation.