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Conference Proceedings MARCH 29–31, 2019 Conference Proceedings Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment Time Title Presenter/moderator Session theme Friday, March 29 Shawn Larson, 2pm Welcome remarks Traci Belting, Erin Meyer and Bob Davidson SESSION ONE Shawn Larson Southern sea otter status as indicated by recent surveys Population 2:10pm Brian Hatfield and strandings status Washington northern sea otters: population and causes Population 2:30pm Deanna Lynch of mortalities summary status A Bayesian model of Washington sea otter Population 2:50pm Jessica R. Hale population dynamics status Conservation success, now what? Challenges of Population 3:10pm maintaining long-term population surveys for a Linda Nichol status species with an expanding range. The return of sea otters along the coast of eastern Population 3:30pm Yoko Mitani Hokkaido, Japan status 3:50pm Questions 4pm Break SESSION TWO Traci Belting Predicting habitat-specific carrying capacity (K) and Tim Tinker and Lilian 4:20pm incorporating multiple data types into an integrative Ecology Carswell population model (IPM) to support sea otter management An ecological assessment of a potential sea otter 4:50pm Dominique Kone Conservation reintroduction to Oregon The Elakha Alliance: seeking to restore sea otters 5:10pm Robert Bailey Conservation to Oregon Developing a blueprint for sea otter restoration in the 5:30pm state of Oregon: making a case for collaborative and Valerie Stephan-Leboeuf Conservation place-based adaptive strategies Assessing anthropogenic risk to sea otters for 5:50pm Jane A. Rudebusch Conservation reintroduction into San Francisco Bay 6:10pm Questions Panel members: Shawn Larson, Jim Bodkin, 6:20pm Round-table discussion—new re-introductions Conservation Tim Tinker, Jim Estes and Lillian Carswell Adjourn to Aquarium exhibit spaces for 6:40pm dinner/evening event Keynote address: 50 years of research on sea otters and 7:30pm Jim Estes Conservation coastal ecosystems: history and high points Saturday, March 30 SESSION THREE Caroline Hempstead The relationship between researchers and youth in Dakota Peebler and Grace 8am Conservation sea otter conservation Jones The global sea otter (Enhydra lutris) conservation strategy, 8:20am Angela Doroff Conservation IUCN-SSC Otter Specialist Group 8:40am Future directions in sea otter research and management Randall W. Davis Conservation 9am Sea Otter Savvy: building community stewardship Gena Bentall Conservation Monterey Bay Aquarium sea otter research 9:20am and conservation: where we are at with surrogacy Michelle Staedler Conservation and reintroductions Sea Otter Conservation Workshop XI 2 Time Title Presenter/moderator Session theme Husbandry challenges during adaptation period of 9:40am two young sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) at Hugo Batista Husbandry Oceanário de Lisboa 10am Questions 10:10am Break SESSION FOUR Catlin Hadfield 10:30am A model preventive medicine program for sea otters Michael J. Murray, DVM Veterinary The dead do tell tales! Investigating southern sea otter 10:50am Melissa A. Miller Veterinary (Enhydra lutris nereis) mortality patterns (1998–2012) Longitudinal assessment of domoic acid exposure 11am and relative hazard of death due to cardiomyopathy in Megan E. Moriarty Veterinary southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) Esophageal perforation in a southern sea otter 11:20am Lauren T. Michaels Veterinary (Enhydra lutris nereis) Uterine leiomyoma, cystic endometrial hyperplasia 11:40am and endometriosis in a northern sea otter Megan M. Strobel Veterinary (Enhydra lutris lutris) Validation of an animal-side serum amyloid A ELISA for Noon the evaluation of systemic inflammation in sea otters Kendal Harr Veterinary (Enhydra lutris) 12:20pm Questions 12:30pm Lunch: reconvene at 1:30 SESSION FIVE Julie Carpenter Facilities updates—highlights from Friday’s 1:30pm Traci Belting Husbandry breakout session Aging sea otters using dental growth patterns, tooth wear 2:00pm Teri Nicholson Veterinary patterns and growth plates from x-rays Investigating potential dietary links to changes in 2:20pm David A. S. Rosen Veterinary serum liver parameters in sea otters Top-level carnivores linked across the marine/terrestrial 2:40pm interface: sea otter haul-outs offer a unique foraging Daniel Monson Ecology opportunity to brown bears Where carnivores clash: evidence of competition— 3pm prey-shifting by brown bears during a period of Heather Coletti Ecology sea otter recovery Long-term trends for sea otters on the Pacific Northwest coast from archeological remains and traditional 3:20pm Iain McKechnie Ecology knowledge: ecological and indigenous histories before the maritime fur trade 3:40pm Questions 3:50pm Break SESSION SIX #TeamOpenCoast or #TeamEstuary? : The costs and 4:10pm Jessica Fujii Ecology benefits of two key sea otter habitats Revisiting the role of southern sea otters in California Ecology 4:30pm Sophia Lyon kelp forests Sea otter diet composition with respect to recolonization, 4:50pm demographic and seasonal patterns in southern Nicole LaRoche Ecology southeast Alaska Sea Otter Conservation Workshop XI 3 Time Title Presenter/moderator Session theme Velocity of community shift and alternative kelp forest states: how long-term subtidal monitoring can focus 5:10pm Zachary Randell Ecology dialogue surrounding nearshore conservation and management New tagging technology for sea otter research: 5:30pm Joseph Tomoleoni Ecology an update on OtterNet 5:50pm Questions Adjourn and reconvene at Argosy cruises at 7:30pm for 6pm Puget Sound cruise (appetizers and cash bar) Sunday, March 31 SESSION SEVEN Carol Jackson Panel members: Traci Roundtable discussion—the placement of Belting, AZA Sea Otter SSP, 8am Conservation rehabilitated pups Monterey Bay Aquarium and Alaska Sea Life Center 8:20am The complex role of sea otters in southeast Alaska Ginny Eckert Ecology Sea otter recolonization associated with regional increase 8:50am Tom W. Bell Ecology in kelp forest canopy 9:10am Reproductive physiology and energetics of sea otters Nicole Thometz Physiology 9:30am Anatomy of the sense of touch in sea otters Sarah McKay Strobel Physiology Beyond morbidity: an integrated approach to sea otter Ecology/ 9:50am Kyle Shanebeck intestinal parasitism Physiology 10:10am Questions 10:20am Break SESSION EIGHT Kelli Lee 10:40am IUCN global otter conservation strategy Nicole Duplaix General Sea otter toxicology research: what can we learn about 11am toxic compounds in sea otters using non-invasively Amy Olsen Physiology collected fecal samples? Investigating the energetic cost of anthropogenic 11:20am disturbance on the southern sea otter Heather E. Barrett Physiology (Enhydra lutris nereis) Investigating microplastic ingestion in sea otters through 11:40am Jennifer Van Brocklin Physiology scat analysis Using behavioral and physiological data to evaluate Noon animal welfare in marine mammals: a case study on Megan Hagedorn Physiology sea otters 12:20pm Questions 12:40pm Lunch: reconvene at 1:40 SESSION NINE Amy Olsen Genetic analyses of southern sea otters inform 1:40pm Roderick B. Gagne Genetics the present and illuminate the past Investigating the relationship between genetics and 2pm disease outcome in necropsied southern sea otters Nicole H. Carter Genetics (Enhydra lutris nereis) Sea otter genetics update: diversity, population structure 2:20pm Shawn Larson Genetics and taxonomy 2:40pm Questions and adjourn Sea Otter Conservation Workshop XI 4 The return of sea otters along the coast of eastern Hokkaido, Japan Yoko Mitani1, Yudai Kitano2, Ippei Suzuki1, Randall Davis3 1: Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University 2: School of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University 3: Dept. of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston Sea otters in Japan were hunted to near extinction during the maritime fur trade in the 19th and early 20th centuries before receiving protection in 1911. Periodic sightings have occurred during the past 20 years along the east coast of Hokkaido, but there has been no concerted effort to document their recovery. In the summer and autumn 2018, we conducted a census of sea otters along the east coast of the Nemuro Peninsula including islands. They fed on sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus intermedius), crabs (Paralithodes brevipes and Telmessus cheiragonus) and sea squirts, but clams (Mactra chinensis and others) were thepredominate (70%) prey. Thirty- minute focal follows showed that they spent 31% foraging, 34% resting, 20% grooming and 16% transiting/ patrolling. It is likely that this small population will continue to expand in an area of commercially valuable invertebrates, so policies to mitigate conflict should be anticipated. Sea Otter Conservation Workshop XI 5 Sea otter toxicology research: what can we learn about toxic compounds in sea otters using non-invasively collected fecal samples? Amy Olsen Pollutants and other toxic contaminant compounds are found in ecosystems throughout the world, from the Arctic to the Mariana Trench. These chemicals have been associated with negative health effects in wildlife, including those that live in the marine environment. Sea otters are a marine predator with a high metabolism, and extensive consumption of contaminated prey may result in biomagnification of these toxic compounds. The Seattle Aquarium houses four Northern sea otters, and their diet includes a variety of restaurant quality seafood. The Aquarium measured three chemicals for trial testing, all known to cause adverse health effects in high concentrations: polybrominated
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