In this undated file photo, a wild sea otter swims as he snacks on seaweed covered with roe.
Ian McCluskey
Sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries during the U.S. fur trade.
They’ve since recovered in parts of the West Coast, but haven’t made their way back to most of Oregon and Northern California.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Oregon Coast Field Office Supervisor Michele Zwartjes said the loss of sea otters – as well as recent declines in sea star populations – have allowed other species to get out of control.
“On the south coast of Oregon, for example, there’s been a more than 10,000% increase in purple sea urchins,” she said. “They eat all of the kelp that’s available that that results in a barren state called an urchin barren.”
Zwartjes said the reintroduction of sea otters would bring lots of benefits to the ecosystem by keeping other populations like sea urchins in check.
The Fish & Wildlife Service is holding a series of open houses starting Tuesday in Astoria and heading down the coast.
“I’m really looking forward to these open houses as an opportunity to speak directly with coastal community members about the idea of sea otter reintroduction,” she said. “I wanna make sure people are aware these conversations are going on.”
Zwartjes says they’re especially interested in the hard-to-quantify aspects of sea otter reintroduction, including the cultural value for Indigenous groups, and the impacts on fisheries and tourism.
The open houses follow the release of a feasibility assessment for sea otters released last year by the USFWS. Zwartjes says they’re still very early in the process, and don’t know how long it might take until actual reintroduction would start.
Open houses in Oregon
Astoria: June 20, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Astoria Elks Lodge #180 453 11th St., Astoria, Oregon 97103
Garibaldi : June 21, 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Old Mill RV Resort 210 South 3rd St. Garibaldi, Oregon 97118
Newport: June 21, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Newport Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room 225 SE Avery St., Newport, Oregon 97365
Florence: June 22, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Lane Community College, Florence Center, Room 103 3149 Oak St., Florence, Oregon 97439
Coos Bay: June 22, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Southwestern Oregon Community College, Empire Hall, Lakeview Rooms E, F, & G 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, Oregon 97420
Port Orford: June 23, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Port Orford Library, Large Conference Room 1421 Oregon St., Port Orford, Oregon 97465
Gold Beach: June 23, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Curry County Library, Meeting Hall 94341 3rd St., Gold Beach, Oregon 97444
Brookings: June 24, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Coastal Community Center (located inside Coastal Home, Health, and Hospice) 585 5th St., Brookings, Oregon 97415
Open houses in California
Crescent City: June 24, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Del Norte Recreation Department, Gymnasium 1005 H St., Crescent City, California 95531
Arcata: June 25, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Cal Poly Humboldt, College Creek Complex, Great Hall Community Center Building, Room 260, 1 Rossow St., Arcata, California 95521
Fort Bragg: June 26, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Noyo Center for Marine Science, Discovery Center 338 N Main St., Fort Bragg, California 95437
Bodega Bay: June 27, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Bodega Bay Community Center 2255 CA-1, Bodega Bay, California 94923
Point Reyes Station: June 27, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Point Reyes National Seashore, Bear Valley Visitor Center, Red Barn Classroom 75 Bear Valley Rd., Point Reyes Station, California 94956
Sausalito: June 28, 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Bay Model Visitor Center, Gallery 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito, California 94965
San Francisco: June 28, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., San Francisco County Fair Building, Auditorium 1199 9th Ave., San Francisco, California 94122
Emeryville: June 29, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Emeryville Senior Center, Main Hall 4321 Salem St., Emeryville, California 94608
If someone can’t attend one of the open houses but has thoughts to contribute, Zwartjes said they can send an email to PacificCoastSeaOtters@fws.gov