The Otter Project’s 2025 Accomplishments
This year presented all-too-familiar challenges to the environmental movement: federal threats, industry opposition, and government inaction. Nevertheless, we'd like to end the year focused on our wins. The Otter Project made real and meaningful progress toward stronger protections for sea otters and their habitat this year - between legal victories and stronger pollution controls, we have a lot to celebrate. Here are our top accomplishments:
Secured a state resolution to take action on ocean acidification and hypoxia. The Otter Project has long raised the alarm that nutrient pollution from wastewater discharges exacerbates climate change impacts on the California coast. We worked with California’s Ocean Protection Council to develop an Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Resolution that elevates and communicates California's commitment to addressing this issue.
Protected sea otter habitat from golf course pollution with a first-in-nation Clean Water Act permit. The Otter Project reached a landmark agreement with Pebble Beach Company to prevent harmful discharges into Carmel Bay Area of Special Biological Significance.
Stopped the flow of stormwater pollution from Central Coast highways into coastal ecosystems. The Otter Project secured significant improvements to the way in which California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) manages coastal stormwater discharges from an extensive network of highways into sea otter habitat along the Central Coast.
Prevented the diversion of $78 million away from marine life restoration. California law requires that coastal power plants pay fees to mitigate for their harms to marine ecosystems. This summer, the Legislature proposed diverting a significant portion of those fees away from marine restoration and instead toward land acquisition. The Otter Project blocked this diversion to ensure our marine wildlife and habitats receive the restoration funding they desperately need.