https://theotterproject.org/blog daily 0.75 2026-04-01 https://theotterproject.org/blog/diablo-canyon-and-the-clean-water-act-can-you-break-the-rules-until-you-shut-down monthly 0.5 2026-04-01 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-2026-priorities monthly 0.5 2026-01-29 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-2025-accomplishments monthly 0.5 2025-12-17 https://theotterproject.org/blog/diablo-canyon-power-plants-marine-life-destruction-will-continue-without-intervention monthly 0.5 2025-12-16 https://theotterproject.org/blog/less-pollution-more-marine-preservation monthly 0.5 2025-09-10 https://theotterproject.org/blog/a-historic-alliance-to-protect-carmel-bay monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://theotterproject.org/blog/california-commits-to-addressing-ocean-acidification-and-hypoxia monthly 0.5 2025-04-09 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-top-2025-accomplishments monthly 0.5 2025-02-26 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-top-2024-accomplishments monthly 0.5 2024-12-16 https://theotterproject.org/blog/nutrient-pollution-is-exacerbating-climate-change-on-the-california-coast monthly 0.5 2024-12-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/5d99dc65-9fea-4534-8db9-8bac4a290678/OA+DIAGRAM_v2.jpg You Otter Know - Nutrient Pollution is Exacerbating Climate Change on the California Coast - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://theotterproject.org/blog/celebrating-the-chumash-heritage-national-marine-sanctuary monthly 0.5 2024-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/5f079805-2039-4df2-be57-20b837ceb621/2024-chnms-map.jpg You Otter Know - Celebrating the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary - Make it stand out Map of Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA) https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-top-2024-priorities monthly 0.5 2024-01-23 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-top-2023-achievements monthly 0.5 2023-12-19 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-project-challenges-agricultural-permit-to-save-sea-otters monthly 0.5 2023-11-30 https://theotterproject.org/blog/is-your-salad-killing-sea-otters monthly 0.5 2023-08-23 https://theotterproject.org/blog/avoiding-ship-strikes-implementing-a-voluntary-vessel-speed-reduction-program monthly 0.5 2023-06-08 https://theotterproject.org/blog/mpas-have-worked-for-10-years-lets-make-them-even-stronger monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-top-2023-priorities monthly 0.5 2023-01-26 https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-projects-top-achievements-in-2022 monthly 0.5 2022-12-20 https://theotterproject.org/blog/a-hopeful-head-start-to-kelp-forest-restoration monthly 0.5 2022-08-05 https://theotterproject.org/blog/a-near-disaster-for-our-furry-friends monthly 0.5 2022-07-12 https://theotterproject.org/blog/takeaways-from-destructive-preventable-orange-county-oil-spill monthly 0.5 2021-10-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1635268993528-C73TFIATGFZ9R6RS9WB6/Mark+Fowler_sea+otter.jpg You Otter Know - Takeaways from Destructive, Preventable Orange County Oil Spill - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1635269413730-TNH823H10Q1MANGUTLJV/Picture3.jpg You Otter Know - Takeaways from Destructive, Preventable Orange County Oil Spill - Make it stand out An oiled sea otter from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. (USGS 2000.) https://theotterproject.org/blog/five-reasons-to-celebrate-the-otter-during-sea-otter-awareness-week monthly 0.5 2021-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1632155546807-PO33Q4R4GI9LOEFI31SV/Chase+Dekker_A+southern+sea+otter+mother+holds+her+pup+in+Moss+Landing%2C+California..jpg You Otter Know - Five Reasons to Celebrate the Otter During Sea Otter Awareness Week - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-otter-project-and-california-coastkeeper-alliance-integrated-to-enhance-the-southern-sea-otters-recovery monthly 0.5 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324220552-6HWCBBZDCMQVOOAWOH4T/TOP+Announcement_TOP+version.png You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324252499-Q8C5PQPYEVM6AS7LC2BK/shutterstock_Katharine+Moore_Kelp+forest+off+the+coast+of+Anacapa+Island%2C+Channel+Islands+National+Park..jpg You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324151113-QJWFIOVNES6CXIUUFJTW/3.4_shuttertock_Chase+Dekker_A+southern+sea+otter+mother+holds+her+pup+in+Moss+Landing%2C+California..jpg You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324153597-8C3DEKHXJ3UEH5ELW8C9/3.6_shutterstock_Keneva+Photography_Sea+Otter+feeling+relaxed.jpg You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324171380-3VHRLYJH8AAOPECPIPAC/6.2_Flickr_Lisa+Ouellette_Sea+Otter+munching+on+a+mollusk+while+floating+in+a+kelp+bed.+Such+is+the+life%21.jpg You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324169029-GDIN2I7RUTQ4Q0KQN0U3/3.8_shutterstock_Manuel+Balesteri_Close-up+of+a+mother+sea+otter+and+her+recently+born+baby+floating+on+the+ocean..jpg You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324173628-6MQU2JF2OEONBIIOSQ8L/5_SHUT%7E1.JPG You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324160250-HWGRDJE8TTXNNE4NXTSU/4_SHUT%7E1.JPG You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324147953-A5OR4U0LLZJ9G4CLJYIS/2_shuttertock_Menno+Schaefer_Sea+Otter+Close+Up.jpg You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629324250397-TQUFCMREY1KHZGFWRKYZ/Adam+Reeder_Monterey+Bay%2C+CA.jpg You Otter Know - The Otter Project Acquired by California Coastkeeper Alliance to Enhance the Southern Sea Otter’s Recovery https://theotterproject.org/blog/the-southern-sea-otter-is-otterly-invaluable monthly 0.5 2021-08-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629323275448-R9Y8QYC1GTUT284TGSZS/3.1_shuttertock_Dennis+W+Donohue_Cute+Otters+in+Morro+Bay+California%2C+USA.jpg You Otter Know - The Southern Sea Otter is Otterly Invaluable - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://theotterproject.org/blog/world-otter-day-top-10 monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629323241836-FQM1YUVPKIHJQ8WJVB2S/3_shuttertock_Tory+Kallman_California+Sea+Otter+-+Enhydra+lutris.jpg You Otter Know - World Otter Day Top 10 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://theotterproject.org/home daily 1.0 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1625608971676-EYOP9ZB6ZJJS790TRIFD/Tory+Kallman_California+Sea+Otter+-+Enhydra+lutris.jpg Home - Defending the southern sea otter is an investment in our local communities. By maintaining the health of coastal kelp forests, otters are critical to the marine ecosystems of California. A thriving otter population can create increased carbon sinks, abundant fisheries, and increased ecotourism. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1625078472631-TN92ZC2T0J9IXH7HRR97/3.9_shutterstock_Edmund+Lowe+Photography_Aerial+Panoramic+View+of+Elkhorn+Slough%2C+Moss+Landing%2C+California.+Elkhorn+Slough+is+a+7-mile-long+tidal+slough+and+estuary+on+Monterey+Bay+in+Monterey+County%2C+California.jpg Home - Existing protections are insufficient. The southern sea otter has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. We strive to defend critical habitat and secure water quality that will ensure the health and success of California sea otter populations. https://theotterproject.org/take-action daily 0.75 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628185636385-CPLV293HBT5QK66H1U1S/6.2_Flickr_Lisa+Ouellette_Sea+Otter+munching+on+a+mollusk+while+floating+in+a+kelp+bed.+Such+is+the+life%21.jpg Take Action https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628185815681-5H6M35L96XZ9G7Z1I7UL/6.1.1_shutterstock_David+A+Litman_A+Southern+Sea+Otter+%28Enhydra+lutris%29+feeds+on+a+clam+in+the+waters+of+Moss+Landing+Harbor%2C+along+the+Monterey+Bay+of+California..jpg Take Action https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628185898189-Z5JDZ5FWA52VT287M31V/6_SHUT%7E2.JPG Take Action https://theotterproject.org/protecting-habitat daily 0.75 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Protecting Southern Sea Otter Habitat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Protecting Southern Sea Otter Habitat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Protecting Southern Sea Otter Habitat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629236389250-B87NRSQSXPP7XM29Q92R/20201014-213-marabeach-carmelbythesea-christinaford-fr.jpg Protecting Southern Sea Otter Habitat - Defend critical habitat The Otter Project seeks the complete protection of the southern sea otter through critical habitat designation for this vital, keystone species. The southern sea otter’s range currently encompasses 10% of the sea otter’s historic range. Such imposed resource limitation and habitat restriction burdens the recovering, keystone species and places the otter at immediate risk of devastation from just one oil spill, competition with human recreators, and anthropogenic-generated environmental stressors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629400786333-UTNNEKUS8RBNLC0O1J1O/NOAA_Marina+Sunset+near+Monterey+Bay+National+Marine+Sanctuary.+Photo+Lisa+Carpenter.jpg Protecting Southern Sea Otter Habitat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629236222806-DGDST23XWWQAWNA8FA2L/20201014-187-mbnms-kelpforest-jonanderson-fr.jpg Protecting Southern Sea Otter Habitat - Safeguard the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) stretches for 276 miles along the central coast from San Francisco to Cambria. This “Serengeti of the Sea” is home to pristine beaches, jewel-like tide pools, lush kelp forests, steep canyons and an offshore seamount teaming with wildlife. The Otter Project safeguards the Sanctuary through environmental monitoring and education and outreach programs designed to preserve, protect, and promote increased public access to California’s state treasure. Ensuring water quality and climate resiliency through environmental monitoring, The Otter Project guarantees the Sanctuary remains pristine. And by facilitating marine debris clean-ups, responsible recreating, and education programs we promote the California public’s interaction with the Sanctuary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628613522126-MB3MUTZPAOZYGS1PLYF6/Rick+Derevan_Sea+Otter%2C+Morro+Bay%2C+California.jpg Protecting Southern Sea Otter Habitat - Stop Oil Spill Devestation One large oil spill will wipe out the entire population of southern sea otters. Past accidents demonstrate the prevailing threat to the California coast and its invaluable resources. For example, it is estimated that several thousand sea otters died in the Exxon Valdez oil spill, a number at least equaling and probably exceeding the present size of the California sea otter population. The Otter Project is working to minimize the risk of an oil spill occurring by advocating for the management of vessel traffic in established vessel lanes. So far, the lanes, which have been recognized by the International Maritime Organization, are voluntary, and anecdotal evidence suggests that they are not being followed. https://theotterproject.org/about daily 0.75 2021-08-18 https://theotterproject.org/kelp-keepers daily 0.75 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Kelp Keepers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Kelp Keepers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Kelp Keepers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628298507956-G9E030TSYEJFBWLM41GO/3.6_shutterstock_Keneva+Photography_Sea+Otter+feeling+relaxed.jpg Kelp Keepers - The southern sea otter’s recovery is invaluable because of their role in the survival of California’s underwater parks. Treasured across the state, the value these otters goes well beyond the surface. The southern sea otter is a keystone species in nearshore marine ecosystems on the California Coast. The otters prey on sea urchins—a voracious consumer of kelp. And by keeping the urchin populations at bay, sea otters maintain the health of entire kelp forests. https://theotterproject.org/threatened-endangered daily 0.75 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Threatened and Endangered https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Threatened and Endangered https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Threatened and Endangered https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628608252890-DF1MDAO85X8F97TGRHXY/Mimi_morro+bay.jpg Threatened and Endangered - Now more than ever, the southern sea otter depends on The Otter Project’s advocacy for enhanced species’ protections due to increased burdens facing the already threatened species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628523253095-RWZUXRCPGH3GWC8IM507/the+data.PNG Threatened and Endangered - The Data The Spring Survey 3–year running average is the metric the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan recommends using to assess the sea otter population status, thus reducing the influence of anomalously high or low counts from any particular year. (USFWS, 2003). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628523359978-1OXPLSO8G1W3F1XXU36Y/sea+out+counts.PNG Threatened and Endangered - Unsustainable Prey Availability Despite population growth from 2010 to 2018, there was a marked decline in southern sea otter population in 2017 and 2018. USFWS found the population growth from 2010-2018 was the result of sharp increases in sea otters in 2015 and 2016 in response to an unusually high abundance of prey. Smith et al. found the combination of star wasting disease and a 2014 El Niño event let to a temporary growth in purple sea urchin and an increase in sea otter survivorship on account of an increase in sea otters specializing on urchin prey. The very purpose of the 2003 Sea Otter Recovery Plan’s usage of a 3-year running average is to avoid the impact of anomalous years on the Sea Otter’s recovery. However, the combined El Niño and star wasting disease produced a “blob” event of purple sea urchin, creating unsustainably available prey for the southern sea otters. It is therefore important to be aware that the population growth yields seen in 2015 and 2016 have not since continued. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628609155044-BPF0J8KSMCCW4EWU5DAI/Otter+in+the+Slough-Elkhorn+Slough.jpg Threatened and Endangered - Target sustainable population Southern sea otters historically ranged throughout the California coast but were hunted to near extinction by the early 1900’s. Protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1977, the sea otter population began to grow but was isolated to the central California Coast. Under the ESA and Marine Mammal Protection Act, Federal agencies are charged with managing sea otters to their optimum sustainable population level. An optimum sustainable population refers to “the number of animals which will result in the maximum productivity of the population or the species, keeping in mind the carrying capacity of the habitat and the health of the ecosystem of which they form a consistent element.” The 2003 Sea Otter Recovery Plan determined optimum sustainable population to be approximately 8,400 sea otters. However, this number is the lower bound of the optimal sustainable population level for the entire California coast based on estimated historic population levels and represents roughly 50-60% of the habitat’s current carrying capacity. More recently, in January 2021, Tinker et al. produced a report in The Journal of Wildlife Management finding that 1) California could eventually support 17,226 otters, and 2) when projecting a 59.4% carrying capacity, the optimal sustainable population for all of California and for regions within California is 10,236 sea otters. The significance of these findings is a possible increase in what was previously considered as the target “recovery” for the southern sea otter. https://theotterproject.org/holding-polluters-accountable daily 0.75 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Holding Polluters Accountable https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Holding Polluters Accountable https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Holding Polluters Accountable https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629240375940-W7E9S6MF0GP1201QUEVZ/NOAA_Marina+Footprints+near+Monterey+Bay+National+Marine+Sanctuary.+Photo+Lisa+Carpenter.jpg Holding Polluters Accountable - Stormwater and water quality enforcement Stormwater is a leading source of water quality pollution to California’s watersheds and ocean. Controlling stormwater pollution is less about rainwater and more about the good practices that keep pollution off the streets and out of the storm drains. Where practices are poor, the first rain of the season is known as the “first flush,” sending a rush of built up toxic pollution from our yards, parking lots, and streets and into the ocean. The Otter Project takes a proactive role in advocating for effective stormwater management along the Central Coast, where flushing events are intensifying with climate change, discharging directly into southern sea otter habitat. The Otter Project advocates for strong permits, and works with its members to identify and enforce rules against municipalities and businesses that are not doing their part to manage stormwater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628610725998-8RNF0M2Z96T9I3XD5QON/loren%252Bchipman_Morro%252BBay%252BHarbor%25252C%252BCa.jpg Holding Polluters Accountable - Preventing plastic pollution Levels of plastic pollution in Monterey Bay rival the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The toxic debris in our bay makes its way through the food web and into sea otters’ stomachs, and our own, through the seafood we consume. The Otter Project works to prevent land-based sources of plastic pollution from reaching our coast by ensuring the State Water Board’s Trash Policy is properly implemented to stop the flow of trash from our cities, including the City of Salinas, highways, and other trash hot spots – by 2030. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628613819290-JARHUMSOOQY7G3AN8OSI/Mark+Fowler_sea+otter.jpg Holding Polluters Accountable - Stop illegal toxics dumping California’s coasts are under threat from dangerous toxic chemicals. Over half of California’s lakes, bays, wetlands, and estuaries are too polluted to swim, drink, or fish. Low income communities and communities of color suffer disproportionately from pollution from toxic operations, such as scrap metal yards, landfills, and cement processors, and are at greater risk for cancer and other health consequences as a result. Southern sea otters are also not spared from toxic pollution, through both direct exposure and ingesting chemicals in the food they eat. Through citizen lawsuits, the Otter Project tackles toxic chemicals by stopping the flow of pollution to local waters and improve the way these heavy industries operate and trigger improvements beyond single facilities. https://theotterproject.org/bolstering-climate-resiliency daily 0.75 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629237424104-WNALG15X7U132LXDMMUS/20201014-186-mbnms-jonanderson-fr.jpg Bolstering Climate Resiliency https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629401395529-RYZZ5AGG37K7JEA8GPYB/3.2_Flickr_dnorton_kelp.jpg Bolstering Climate Resiliency https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629234805983-KKUC2Z3EK28SZD9TW21Z/3.4_shuttertock_Chase+Dekker_A+southern+sea+otter+mother+holds+her+pup+in+Moss+Landing%2C+California..jpg Bolstering Climate Resiliency - Preventing ocean acidification hot spots The ocean is becoming more acidic due to climate change, a condition that often co-occurs with depleted oxygen levels, or hypoxia, due to warmer surface waters. Additionally, nutrient pollution increases nearshore algal blooms and contributes to ocean acidification and hypoxia. Ocean acidification and hypoxia have enormous implications on the health and productivity of marine ecosystems, including the shellfish that sea otters rely on for food. The Otter Project works to prevent ocean wastewater discharges and agricultural nutrient inputs from causing ocean acidification and hypoxia hot spots that put sea otters at risk. https://theotterproject.org/here-at-home daily 0.75 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Here at Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Here at Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Here at Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628536194127-Q9XLY4KP66THCI32LVU8/6.2_Flickr_Lisa+Ouellette_Sea+Otter+munching+on+a+mollusk+while+floating+in+a+kelp+bed.+Such+is+the+life%21.jpg Here at Home - Hoping to spot an iconic sea otter? Head to Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, and Morro Bay. Just don’t forget to #RespectTheNap. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628536845104-SC5L2GD6EDLTM9U7LGIR/habitat+map+1.PNG Here at Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628536931816-08B981VX2IE8KW9W8ILN/habitat+map+2.PNG Here at Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://theotterproject.org/our-progress daily 0.75 2025-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Our Progress https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Our Progress https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Our Progress https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/b794c032-d1f2-4882-875d-c1a304c991a8/Copy+of+The+Otter+Project+Timeline+Infographic+%281%29.png Our Progress - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://theotterproject.org/why-sea-otters daily 0.75 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1629236151409-QKJFF0ZCF1M9XWC71ZVP/NOAA_A%2Bgull%2Bflies%2Bover%2Bkelp%2Bbeds%2Bin%2BMonterey%2BBay%2BNational%2BMarine%2BSanctuary.%2BPhoto%2BKate%2BSutter.jpg Why Sea Otters The southern sea otter’s recovery is invaluable because of their role in the survival of California’s underwater parks. Southern sea otters are a beloved, iconic species of Monterey Bay. Treasured across the state, the value of these otters go well beyond the surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628535756698-MFBEMDOKOKSXY1LD71RX/2.2_shutterstock_Neil%2BAronson_California%2BSea%2BOtter.jpg Why Sea Otters Historically, as many as 20,000 otters lived along the California coast. But wild populations have struggled to recover after being decimated by the fur trade. The recovery of sea otters in California remains uncertain. They remain vulnerable to infectious diseases, environmental pollutants, white sharks, and the impacts from an oil spill. Despite decades of protection, scientists and wildlife managers are troubled by the lack of increase in the wild sea otter population. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628535823814-LTFNTZRPKSBAYH3MHIK4/CA%2B1%2B_2013_262%2Bcrop2.jpg Why Sea Otters Along the Pacific Coast, sea otters once inhabited the nearshore coastal ecosystem from northern California all the way to Baja California in Mexico. However, currently the sea otter range only extends from north of Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County south along the California coast to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County. https://theotterproject.org/our-work daily 0.75 2021-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628609295758-MWJCOGL8TG2V6V49DNN5/Adam+Reeder_Monterey+Bay%2C+CA.jpg Our Work One of the principal threats to the southern sea otters’ recovery remains a lack of available habitat. We defend the otters’ habitat by enhancing marine protected areas, utilizing environmental monitoring and education and outreach programs to safeguard the Monterey Sanctuary, and preventing future oil spills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628609341780-1HEG89EYNSNQKPAP69H4/Allison+Gregor_Elkhorn+Slough+Safari+Moss+Landing.jpg Our Work Sea otters, like all of earth’s inhabitants, are at risk from climate change. Ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and habitat loss are just some of the impacts threatening the otter. And these effects are often compounded—sea otters are the first line of defense for kelp, a natural carbon sink whose losses impact the otters' habitat as well as our entire ecosystem. We respond to climate change by building climate hope spots to provide a buffer to climate change, curbing agricultural pollution, and combating ocean acidification. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628609381695-RI38VA2JF03OO9G50XDP/Adam+Reeder+-+Big+Sur%2C+CA.jpg Our Work Californians and the sea otter alike deserve fishable, swimmable, and drinkable waters. We strive to meet that goal through water quality enforcement, preventing plastic pollution, and stopping illegal toxic dumping. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c8f9931b5cc4109b150a35/1628609414919-IRG19MIHC0N74BDUGB6T/Judy+Gallagher_California+Sea+Otters+-+Enhydra+lutris+nereis%2C+Elkhorn+Slough%2C+Moss+Landing%2C+California.jpg Our Work For over two decades, The Otter Project has protected our watersheds and coastal oceans to promote the rapid recovery of the threatened California sea otter. https://theotterproject.org/take-action-1 daily 0.75 2025-06-10