Washignton State Recovery Plan for the Sea Otter

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Washignton State Recovery Plan for the Sea Otter Washington State Recovery Plan for the Sea Otter Prepared by Scott A. Richardson Harriet L. Allen Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Program 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, Washington 98501 December 2004 Recovery, as defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is “the process by which the decline of an endangered or threatened species is arrested or reversed, and threats to its survival are neutralized, so that its long-term survival in nature can be ensured.” This definition is also applicable to the recovery of wildlife species managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, including the sea otter. The sea otter is classified as an endangered species in Washington (WAC 232-12-014). The Department’s listing procedures (WAC 232-12-297, Appendix B) require that recovery plans be written for species listed as endangered or threatened by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The sea otter recovery plan summarizes the historic and current distribution and abundance of the sea otter in Washington, describes factors affecting the population and its habitat, sets recovery objectives and prescribes strategies to recover the species in the state. A Sea Otter Working Group was established to provide input and help guide the development and completion of the recovery plan. The preliminary draft of the plan was written in 1999 and was peer reviewed by sea otter experts. The Draft Sea Otter Recovery Plan was released for a 90-day public review in 2000. This document is the Final Plan, which has had the public review comments addressed and has been updated with a great deal of new information developed during 2000-2004. For additional information about sea otters or other state listed species, see the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website (www.wa.gov/wdfw) or contact: Endangered Species Section Manager Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way No. Olympia, WA. 98501 This report should be cited as: Lance, M.M., S.A. Richardson and H.L. Allen. 2004. Washington state recovery plan for the sea otter. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia. 91 pp. Cover photos: sea otter (photo courtesy of C. J. Casson, Seattle Aquarium) with kelp forest in the background (photo courtesy of Royal B.C. Museum). Cover design by Darrell Pruett. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .........................................................................................................................viii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................x PART ONE: BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................1 1. CURRENT STATUS ...............................................................................................................................1 1.1 Taxonomy ..........................................................................................................................................1 1.2 Stock definition .................................................................................................................................1 1.3 Species description ............................................................................................................................2 2. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION .....................................................................................................4 2.1 North Pacific Ocean ..........................................................................................................................4 2.2 Washington - Historic ........................................................................................................................4 2.3 Washington - Current ........................................................................................................................7 3. NATURAL HISTORY .............................................................................................................................7 3.1 Ecological Importance .......................................................................................................................7 3.2 Reproduction .....................................................................................................................................8 3.3 Mortality ............................................................................................................................................8 Disease and parasites .........................................................................................................................8 Predation ............................................................................................................................................9 Human-caused sources of mortality ..................................................................................................10 3.4 Home Range, dispersal and seasonal movements ...........................................................................11 3.5 Behavioral characteristics ...............................................................................................................12 3.6 Diet ..................................................................................................................................................13 4. HABITAT REQUIREMENTS ...............................................................................................................16 5. POPULATION STATUS .......................................................................................................................17 5.1 North Pacific ....................................................................................................................................17 Alaska ...............................................................................................................................................18 British Columbia ..............................................................................................................................18 California ..........................................................................................................................................19 5.2 Washington ......................................................................................................................................19 Historic population ...........................................................................................................................19 Reintroductions to Washington ........................................................................................................20 Current population status ..................................................................................................................20 Trends in abundance .........................................................................................................................22 Changes in distribution patterns .......................................................................................................23 Carrying capacity ..............................................................................................................................26 6. HABITAT STATUS ..............................................................................................................................28 6.1 Ownership and Management ...........................................................................................................28 December 2004iii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 6.2 Affected environment ......................................................................................................................29 7. CONSERVATION STATUS .................................................................................................................31 7.1 Legal Status .....................................................................................................................................31 Washington ........................................................................................................................................31 United States .....................................................................................................................................31 International ......................................................................................................................................32 8. MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................32 8.1 Translocations .................................................................................................................................32 8.2 Population surveys ..........................................................................................................................32 8.3 Research ..........................................................................................................................................33 8.4 Oil spill risk reduction and response ...............................................................................................33 8.5 Fishery Interactions .........................................................................................................................34 Sea urchin .........................................................................................................................................35 Dungeness crab .................................................................................................................................36
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