The sea otter was placed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973 and is now listed on CITES Appendix I and II. Known as a keystone species, sea otters have a greater effect on their environment than other organisms within that system. Biology - The sea otter feeds on clams, sea urchins, abalone, crabs, mussels, starfish and fish. By 1850, sea otters in Canada were considered commercially extinct. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. Sea The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), also known as the northern river otter or common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent found in and along its waterways and coasts. The otters were hunted for their pelts, and a total of around 55,000 otter pelts were taken from North America. An international treaty (1911) gave protection to the endangered sea otters, and by the late 1960s the Alaskan population had grown to about 30,000. Everything from sea otters to leatherback turtles, from whooping cranes to wood bison are at risk” [wwf.ca]. WWF-Canada works to save a growing number of threatened and endangered species. 2. European otter. OCEANWALKERS Sea Otters live in coastal waters & estuaries. Search Aquatic Species at Risk. ), the Sea Otter population in Canada has increased to about 900 animals and has been growing at a rate of 17 to 20 percent per year. explains why and how the sea otter is endangered Essay by lastminutechic88 , High School, 10th grade , A , October 2004 download word file , … Between 1969 and 1972, 89 sea otters from Amchitka and Prince William Sound, Alaska, were translocated to Checleset Bay on the west coast of Vancouver Island. A few survived in Alaska and California. Sea otters have low genetic diversity, which could endanger their health as a species, a UCLA-led team of life scientists has discovered. Learn more about species at risk and what WWF is doing to help them. The IUCN Red List has listed sea otters as an endangered species since 2000 and their current population status is decreasing. Fish and Wildlife Service, sea otters have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. In response to this, the Canadian Sea Otter Recovery Team formed an oil response plan specifically for the sea otter, and implemented it in 2004 (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2013). River otters do not. The Sea Otter has been assigned Endangered status by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (cosewic), and receives legal protec-tion as a marine mammal under the Canada Fisheries Act. The otters play an important role in controlling sea urchin populations, which would otherwise damage the kelp forest ecosystem. This means that there are less crabs around to eat sea slugs, who can then eat up up all the algae growing on … During the late 1700s and 1800s, the sea otter was heavily hunted on the Pacific coast. However, 89 sea otters were reintroduced to the coast of BC from 1969-1972. The Sea Otter was originally listed as “Threatened” under the Act, but was subsequently listed at a lower risk level of “Special Concern” following the 2007 assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as “Special Concern” due to the increased population growth and expansion into historic range. Not only are sea otters one of the most adorable mammals found in our ocean, they also play an essential role in their marine ecosystem. Sea otters are commonly seen in large groups, while river otters rarely occur in groups larger than a single family which may include 3-4 young. Photo: BritishColumbia.com. They are one of the few animals known to use tools – they use small rocks to open shellfish. They are regarded as an endangered species by international regulations, and without additional protection, they may become extinct in the near future. As of 2020, the sea otter is considered Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Existing protection In Canada sea otters were federally listed as Threatened in 2003 and under the Species at Risk Act are protected from killing, harming, capturing, and harassing. Stats reveal that many otters died between years 1999-2006 of shark bites. In Canada, endangered or extinct animals are divided into four categories: Extirpated Endangered The sea otter has increased its population by "an average of well over 100 per cent" in the past 50 years, according to the WWF's report released Tuesday, but remains at risk of extinction. In 2010, the Government of Canada launched a recovery plan with the goal of reaching a population size where even a catastrophic event would not severely diminish or even extirpate the sea otter population. The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. Sea otters are listed as an endangered species because they are vulnerable to oil spills from ships and coastal tanker traffic. The only estuary in California that is currently home to a distinct and self-sustaining population of sea otters is Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing in Monterey Bay. According to the U.S. Today the species is protected under the Endangered Species Act & Marine Mammal Protection Act. Sea otters today are considered a species that is endangered. ever sea otters and commercial and subsistence invertebrate fisheries exist in California, Alaska, and British Columbia. They also have a reduced population size, which puts them in danger of becoming extinct. Other Endangered Species Of Canada. Distribution - Naturally occurring from the Aleutian Islands to Alaska, the sea otter has been transplanted to the southern part of Canada's Pacific coast. “Sea otters probably numbered in the thousands in this estuary prior to being driven to local extinction by overhunting,” the researchers noted in the study. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. Sea otters live and play in the waters off the Pacific coast. The Southern Sea Otter & Southwest Stock of Northern Sea Otters in Alaska are both listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The last verified sea otter in Canada was shot near Kyuquot, British Columbia (BC), in 1929. Sea otters in southeast Alaska are not listed as threatened or endangered, but the agency cannot intervene to protect commercial fisheries until a species is at "optimum sustainable population." Sea Otters in California and Western Alaska are listed federally under the United States Canada was missing its smallest marine animal until 1969, when 89 Alaskan sea otters were relocated to Checleset Bay, off northwest Vancouver Island. The Southern Sea Otter & Southwest Stock of Northern Sea Otters in Alaska are both listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. An adult North American river otter can weigh between 5.0 and 14 kg (11.0 and 30.9 lb). Sea otters, for instance, must eat around 25-30% of their body weight in sea urchins, clams, and crabs daily in order to maintain their high metabolic rate. These are the words of WWF Canada, an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 and dedicated to protecting the environment. They use their flat, webbed hind feet to swim and have been known to swim up to 5mph. THe endangered sea otter. Sea Otter off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. 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