The southern sea otter (enhydra lutris nereis) is an ecologically important species that faces numerous challenges, from disease and shark bite mortality to resource limitation in large portions of…

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) received a three-year, $161,500 project grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund program (CFDA 15.615). The grant will support Sea Otter Savvy (SOS) to mitigate human disturbances to threatened southern sea otters in California through community outreach and engagement efforts.

SOS will use innovative awareness campaigns targeting residents and visitors in sea otter occupied areas of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo counties, as well as areas within the species' historic range, to promote responsible wildlife viewing. Key activities include developing outreach materials, establishing best practices for wildlife-oriented businesses through partnerships, and conducting community science research. CDFW will oversee grant implementation by SOS, a nonprofit organization, from July 2023 to June 2026. The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund program provides federal assistance to states and territories for endangered species conservation activities undertaken through cooperative agreements with USFWS.

The southern sea otter (enhydra lutris nereis) is an ecologically important species that faces numerous challenges, from disease and shark bite mortality to resource limitation in large portions of its occupied range. Listed as threatened under the endangered species act and fully protected under state law, california s sea otter population has been slowly recovering from near-extinction since cessation of the maritime FUR trade. During this time, california s coastal human population has also undergone a many-fold increase. As a result, southern sea otters are coming increasingly into contact with human activities, especially in harbors and estuaries, where the charismatic species is a primary attraction for ecotourists. With the guidance of advisors from the US fish and wildlife service (USFWS), california department of fish and wildlife (cdfw), and united states (US) geological survey, sea otter savvy has created and developed a multi-tiered approach to mitigating human-caused disturbance to southern sea otters. The mission of sea otter savvy is to foster community awareness and involvement to reduce human-caused disturbances to southern sea otters and promote responsible wildlife viewing. Using both in-person and media-based tools, we will reach out to residents and visitors of regions in california where sea otters are both present in proximity to human development (santa cruz, monterey, and SAN luis obispo counties) and absent (northern and southern california) within the sea otters historic range. Our approach will have three main components: developing awareness through innovative outreach developing business norms and organizational partnerships and leading community-science-based research.