Board Members

Jennifer Covert

Pam Ferris-Olson

Chris Miller

Cindy Tucey

Sarah Beyrich

Tim Eichenberg

Joyce Capuano

James Estes

Teiko Saito

The Otter Raft Contact:

P.O. Box 223260 Carmel, CA 93922 info@seaotters.org 831.915.3275

Advocacy Program Director Jim Curland jcurland@seaotters.org

Program Manager Frank Reynolds freynolds@seaotters.org

We would like to send the Otter Raft electronically, if possible, in the future. If this is convenient for you to receive an electronic version instead of in print, please let us know at info@seaotters.org. Thank you!

Interested in current events on sea otters? Looking to find out what’s going on with the sea otter organization with their finger on the pulse of everything sea otter related? Trying to help advocate for these endangered species? Love cute sea otter pictures? …Look no further!

Friends of the Sea Otter is constantly updating our Facebook and Twitter feeds to bring our members and followers up-to-the-minute information in the world of sea otter conservation. The more followers we are able to reach will directly impact the strength of our advocacy efforts. If you do have Facebook or Twitter be sure to follow us!

Facebook: https://www.facebook. com/friendsoftheseaotter

Twitter: @FriendsSeaOtter

Electronic Newsletter

Follow Us for All Sea Otter Current Events!

Who: All ages!

What: Raffle tickets are each a $15 dollar donation, and enters you into the Disneyland Raffle. Limit 6 raffle ticket purchases per person.

Raffle winner takes home the package vacation which includes: • 4 All Day Disneyland “Hopper Passes”

• 2 night stay at the Sheraton Anaheim (Total Package Value: $1200)*

Where: Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California

How: Donate $15 to Friends of the Sea Otter for your chance to win!

When: The gift bundle can be used anytime between

now and August 2015.

Why: Combining “The Happiest Place on Earth” and

protecting sea otters is a win-win combination!

Our Mission“Friends of the Sea Otter is committed to and advocates for the conservation of sea otters, the preservation of their habitat, through education, research, and policy decisions that will ensure the long-term survival of this species.”

Friends of the Sea Otter’s

Disney Vacation Giveaway!

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As a member of Friends of the Sea Otter, we cannot thank you enough for your support and contribution to our organization. As we continue to find new ways to benefit both sea otters and acknowledge our members, we would like to let you know about the different ways your tax-refundable donations can support FSO.  

Friends of the Sea Otter Online Gift Store Friends of the Sea Otter has several different gifts available online through our website at http://www.seaotters.org/gift-store:. Bundle packages and gifts are sold with free shipping and handling. These bundles include membership and are a wonderful way for you to spread the sea otter love amongst friends and family. If you are paying via check, be sure to label which bundle you would like in your envelope or check. All purchases go towards protecting and recovering sea otters and their habitats. Some of the bundles offered include:

Your Dollar Can Help a

Sea Otter

Amazon SmileAmazon makes everyone’s lives easier by creating an online shopping market place that offers just about everything. This year, we are hoping that if you are using Amazon.com, please consider us for the Amazon Smile program, where 0.5% of your gift purchases will go towards Friends of the Sea Otter. Visit https://smile.amazon.com/ and enter Friends of the Sea Otter into the “Search Section” and add us. A little goes a very long way and everything helps.

ZazzleAlong with our online store front on www.seaotters.org, we also have many products to choose from through Zazzle, a company that gives 15%-20% of proceeds back to Friends of the Sea Otter. Visit http://www.zazzle.com/friendsoftheseaotter to select your favorite FSO products including: shirts, mouse pads, coffee mugs, stamps, iPhone cases, note cards, hats, tote bags, magnets, sweatshirts, and more!

$30 -“Sea Otter Pup Bundle” • SeaOtterStickyPad • FriendsoftheSeaOtterMembership • FriendsoftheSeaOtter’sBi-AnnualNewsletter, “The Raft” • SeaOtterFactSheet

$50 – “Kelp Bed Bundle” • SeaOtterNoteCards(12cards) • FriendsoftheSeaOtterMembership • FriendsoftheSeaOtterBi-AnnualNewsletter • SeaOtterFactSheet

$75 – “Sea Otter Nursery Bundle” • 2014SeaOtterCalendar • SeaOtterStickyPad • FriendsoftheSeaOtterMembership • FriendsoftheSeaOtterBi-AnnualNewsletter(printversion) • SeaOtterFactSheet

$100 – “Sea Otter Raft Bundle” • 2014SeaOtterCalendar • SeaOtterHolidayNoteCards • SeaOtterStickyNotes • FriendsoftheSeaOtterBi-AnnualNewsletter (printversion) • SeaOtterFactSheet

Bequests Bequests have been vital to sustaining Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO)overmanyyears.Bequestsbothlargeandsmallprovidelasting support and impact the programs and services FSO can pursue. Some FSO members make gifts to honor loved ones and others make bequests in their wills or estate plans.

Another way to give to FSO is donating stock or other financial instruments.

These alternative ways of supporting FSO may be more practical for some allowing individuals who can not make a cash donation to still support FSO and reflect their charitable wishes.

If you would like to learn more about bequests or other donation options, please contact us at: P.O. Box 223260, Carmel, CA 93922 info@seaotters.org or 831.915.3275

Friends of the Sea Otter Merchandise is here!

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Now you can support the otters we love, and look good at the same time.Visit our store at www.seaotters.org, 15%-20% proceeds go to support Friends of the Sea Otter and it’s mission to protect our remarkable furry friends.

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It might be tempting while watching a sea otter floating on its back, chowing down on some shellfish or just taking a nap in a kelp bed, to think, “now that’s the life!” But let me assure you that the life of a sea otter is far from

easy–especiallyforfemales.Howwouldyouliketospend12hoursaday,everyday, searching for food? What if on top of that you needed to frequently nurse and groom a dependent pup? Or what if you were forced to make a decision about abandoning your newborn or risking your own survival? These are just a few of the challenges female sea otters face in their daily fight for survival.

Sea otters have an energetically expensive lifestyle. Due to their small body size and marine living, they lose heat to their environment at a rapid rate and must expendagreatdealofenergyjusttokeepwarm.Consequently,seaottersneedto eat roughly 25% of their body weight in food per day. That is the equivalent ofa140poundhumaneating35poundsoffoodeveryday!!Andthatisjustenough to “energetically break even”, not even to pack on weight. Keep in mind that 25% is the amount needed by the average sea otter and that across mammalian species lactation is known to be the most energetically taxing life stage. So what does this mean for our sea otter moms?

Given their inherently high baseline energy needs, one would assume that the cost of lactation in sea otters would be considerable. In fact, females have

BY: NICOLE M. THOMETZ, PHDPOSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SANTA CRUZ

SEA OTTER MOTHERHOOD: and you thought you had it rough?

WWW.SEAOTTERS.ORG –P.7

been documented losing body mass over the course of pup dependency. But until recently*, the exact cost of pup rearing was unknown. By three weeks postpartum, the daily energy demands of a female sea otter increase 17%. Although energy demands are increased, females reduce foraging activity during the first weeks postpartum in order to diligently care for their newborn pups. As a result, females must immediately tap into their onboard fat reserves; and because their fat reserves are quite small, such minimal foraging activity can only be sustained for the first week or two of dependency.

Pup energy demands increase rapidly over the course of lactation.IncentralCalifornia,afemalewithamediumtolargesizedpupmustspendanaverageof48%ofeachday foraging to meet the increasing needs of her pup comparedtoonly39%forafemalewithnopup.Bytheaverage age of weaning, a dependent pup increases the dailyenergeticdemandsofafemaleby96%,essentiallydoubling her daily metabolic demands. At this stage, the dependent pup is foraging and contributing somewhat to its own energy demands, but it continues to nurse frequently, solicit for food, and share and steal prey items from its mother; making it a substantial energetic

burden until weaning occurs. Females with pups at or around weaning age have been observed feeding as muchas60%of theday.Tobeclear, that is60%of a24hourday,not just60%ofdaylighthours.Thoseare hardworking moms!!

The exceptional energetic demands adult female sea otters must manage during lactation have both direct and cascading consequences. Female sea otters spend nearly their entire adult lives either pregnant or lactating. On average, females will give birth to a pup every year regardless of physiological or environmental conditions. Thus, they must make the decision after giving birth, to keep or abandon the pup. Females in poor body condition may need to “cut their losses” and abandon a pup shortly after birth to save energy, build up fat reserves, and be in better condition before giving birth to their next pup. If a female chooses to keep a pup, but is in very poor body condition, she may risk her own survival trying to keep pace with such rapidly increasing energy demands.

For those females that choose to raise a pup there is another energetically based decision to make: at what point to wean that pup. Weaning a pup early, reduces the energetic investment made by the female, but decreases the pup’s likelihood of survival during its first year post-weaning.Conversely,delayedweaningwill increase thelikelihood of pup survival, but also increase the energetic deficit accrued by the female by the end of lactation. If the energetic deficit is too large and exceeds her capacity to replenish reserves before the next pup is born, the female will have to abandon that next pup early in development.

In the center of the current southern sea otter range, where sea otters are in high abundance, prey resources are limited. Reduced prey availability appears to contribute to poor female body condition at the end of lactation. Often adult female death occurs immediately before or after pup weaning, when nutritional deficiencies and poor body condition leave females vulnerable to mating trauma, infectionanddisease.Termed ‘end-lactationsyndrome’,this condition has been observed more frequently over the last 20 years in areas where sea otter abundance is high. Given the extraordinary cost of pup rearing for female sea otters it would appear that increasing energetic demands

are the driving force behind the reduction in female body condition over the course of lactation. Ultimately, female sea otters invest everything they can into their pups and some may be pushing themselves to their physiological limits.

*Thometz,N.M.,Tinker,M.T., Staedler,M.M.,Mayer,K.A., andWilliams,T.M. (2014). Energetic demands ofimmature sea otters from birth to weaning: implications for maternal costs, reproductive behaviors, and population-leveltrends.J.Exp.Biol.217,2053-2061.

SEA OTTER MOTHERHOOD: and you thought you had it rough?

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How Do You Know if You’re Disturbing a Sea Otter?Human related wildlife disturbance has been an ongoing issue; the majority of these events are unintentional. As a result, there is an effort to help educate and inform the public regarding what constitutes disturbance and how it can be prevented. Educating the public is a top priority among ecologists, conservationists, scientists, wildlife watchers and others who are aware of the issue and its possible negative effects on wildlife. One form of guidance comes from a passage in the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972:

(A) The term “ harassment” means any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance

which—

(i) has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the

wild; or

(ii) has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.

The guideline, unfortunately, does not provide the public and law enforcement officials any actual set distance from which to observe marine mammals. In addition, the distance, at which one deems an animal “harassed” or disturbed, varies depending on whether one is referring to sea otters, whales, sea lions, manatees or other wildlife.

Sea otters occupy areas along the nearshore environment where they are likely to interact with divers, kayakers, boaters, surfers, swimmers and others. Sea otter disturbance has been an issue most notably in Moss Landing Harbor and Elkhorn Slough, Morro Bay, and along the coastline of Monterey. It is likely sea otter disturbance occurs in other geographic areas where sea otters are found. The aforementioned areas are just some of the most frequently cited spots. And while there is no distance by which a member of the public would be in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the guideline clearly defines “harassment” or disturbance measured by a change in behavior of the animal. Thus, if an animal swims away, dives, stops feeding, stops grooming or changes it’s behavior, it is possible that proximity boundaries have been violated.

The significance of sea otter disturbance has been the focus of two thesis projects. Friends of the Sea Otter’s Jim Curland, wrote his Master’s thesis, and Dr. Deborah Benham, her doctoral thesis, that researched and analyzed what constitutes disturbance and how significant it is to the well-being of the animal. Conclusions were presented to help minimize the issue of disturbance and harassment.

Dr. Benham created a laminated flyer to handout to kayak shops and other businesses which interact with visitors to Monterey Bay. The flyer demonstrated proper wildlife viewing etiquette when out on Monterey Bay.

Currently organizations, like Friends of the Sea Otter, federal and state agencies, scientists, educators and others are working on a revision of this flyer to use in various locations in California.

The goal is to minimize or entirely eliminate incidents of disturbance that have negative effects on sea otters such as causing them to abandon feeding areas or flee resting areas as well as potentially disrupting mother-pup behaviors that are vital to the upbringing of the young animals.

Friends of the Sea Otter released its 2nd Annual Photography Contest in July of 2014. The organization values the dedicationof these photographers, and admires the work that they produce!

WeareexcitedtohavetheopportunitytositdownwithEfrenAdalem,alocal photographer, and interview him about his passion to capture these incredible animals. Efren’s talent saw him take home 3rd place in ourinauguralphotocontestin2013.

FSO:SoEfren,whendidyoustartcapturingseaottersonyourcamera?

EA: I purchased a DSLR four years ago replacing the 35mm filmcamera and point and shoot I had been using. I wanted to get back into photographyandfoundSouthSantaCruzCountyagreatplacetocapturethe wildlife of the freshwater wetland systems. I loved walking around the sloughsofWatsonville,especiallyStruveandHarkinsslough.IalsowouldtakeaquickdrivetoMossLandingandtheElkhornSlough.ThatiswhereI found the sea otters and started photographing these amazing animals.

FSO: What was your inspiration to photograph this keystone species?

EA: The sea otter has such an incredible story with its near extinction andthefactthatabout50otterswerediscoveredaroundBixbyCreekinBigSurin1938.Slowlytheyhavemadeacomebackandwiththehelpofgroups like Friends of the Sea Otter they will hopefully continue to thrive. I also love their behavior and lovable appearance which make them a great subject to photograph.

FSO: Where is your preferred location to take photos?

EA: IoftencapturethemoffJettyRd.atMossLandingStateBeach.Afewregulars love to come to the culverts near the entrance to the State Beach to feast on the crabs and mussels. I also catch them off the beach near the end of Jetty Rd. Finding them around the docks is also a treat especially if they have young with them.

FSO: What is your favorite sea otter activity to photograph?

EA:Myfavoriteactivitytocaptureiswhenamotherotterhasanewbornon her belly and adjusts the newborn as it sleeps and suckles on her.

FSO: Why do you choose the sea otter as your subject for photography?

EA: The sea otter is one of many wildlife subjects I choose to photograph. They are an extremely entertaining animal to photograph with so many gesturesandmotionsastheygoabouttheirdailyactivities.MyobjectiveistocapturethebeautyoftheMontereyBayAreaandinparticularthelifein the Watsonville Slough System as it is one of only three remaining large bodiedfreshwaterwetlandsystemsleftinthePacificCoastalflywaywhichis so vital to all the birds that live here and pass through here during their migrations. 

Thank you Efren! Happy photographing!

EFREN ADALEM

“Sea Otter Charge” by Efren Adalem

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INTERVIEW WITH SEA OTTER PHOTOGRAPHER

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Dr. Jim Estes Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

We are proud to announce that Friends of the Sea Otter board member and distinguished scientist, Dr.

Jim Estes, who is also a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his continuing achievements in original scientific research. Membership in the academy is one of the highest honors a U.S. scientist can receive.

After growing up in southern California, Dr. Estes received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in 1967 and doctorate from the University of Arizona in 1974. He

subsequently worked as a research scientist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. After retiring from federal service in 2007, Jim took a part time faculty position with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California at Santa Cruz, where he currently resides. Dr. Estes is an internationally known expert on marine mammals and a specialist in the critical role of apex (top level) predators in the marine environment. Much of this work has been with sea otters and coastal ecosystems in the North Pacific Ocean. He has conducted field research in Alaska, California, Mexico, New

WWW.SEAOTTERS.ORG –P.11

Zealand, and Russia. He has published more than 150 scientific articles, several books and monographs, and has served on the editorial boards for a variety of professional journals. Dr. Estes also served on the California and southwest Alaska sea otter recovery teams. His most recent book, published by Island Press in 2010, is a co-edited volume with John Terborgh entitled Trophic Cascades: Predators, Prey and the Changing Dynamics of Nature.

Dr. Estes’ work has revealed how predators can profoundly shape ecosystems. This leads him to argue forcefully that their loss is of great concern for conservation biology. He is best known for his groundbreaking research on the ecological role of sea otters in coastal ecosystems. Sea otters’ role as a keystone species came out of much of Dr. Estes’s work, demonstrating that when you have sea otters present in a system, the system is a healthy kelp forest, with resultant biodiversity in other organisms and plant life. With sea otters absent, Dr. Estes, showed that the system results in an urchin barren, where sea urchins

have taken over the system and it is

devoid of

biodiversity, and non-productive.

He has ongoing research projects on the ecology of coastal marine communities and strategies for marine conservation. In recent years, he has led international teams of scientists investigating how a broad range of ecosystems have been disrupted by the decline of large predators and other “apex consumers” at the top of the food chain.

Dr. Estes is also a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. His awards and honors include the Western Society of Naturalists’ Lifetime Achievement Award, Pew Marine Conservation Fellowship, the C. Hart Merriam Award of the American Society of Mammalogists, and the USGS Shoemaker Award for Distinguished Achievement in Communication.

SeaOtterAwarenessWeek(SOAW),isanannualrecognition of the vital role that sea otters play in the nearshore ecosystem and always falls on the last week in September.  It is a time to focus our attention on these charismatic marine mammals, their status, conservation needs, and how we can help them and encourage their survival.Eachyear,zoos,aquariums,naturalhistorymuseums, marine institutions, filmmakers, researchers, academics, educators, and the public participate in various events and activities highlighting sea otters history and various conservation issues and challenges sea otters face.

HereintheMontereyBayareaFriendsoftheSeaOtter(FSO)workstofacilitatefreelocaltalksbyseaotterexperts, activities from local organizations, agencies and companies. As scheduled events develop and are confirmed they are uploaded to the official SOAW website, www.seaotterweek.org.

And towards the end of SOAW, FSO hosts our annualpublicmeetingattheMontereyBayAquarium

auditoriumonFriday,September26at6:00PM,with otter spotting along the coastal access near the Aquarium.ThisyearwearefortunatetohaveDr.TimTinker,seaotterresearcherspeakaboutcurrentresearchonSeaOtter’sinSouthernCalifornia(seethearticleinthis issue of The Raft about details on the annual FSO meeting).

MakeyourplansnowtocomeouttotheMontereyBayarea and learn more about sea otters, current challenges to the species and how we can work to ensure their survival.

While SOAW is one focused week during the year, FSO is busy all year round helping to protect and recover sea otters and their habitat.

Comejoinusinrecognitionofoneoftheplanet’smostmagnificent and important animals.

12th Annual SEA OTTER AWARENESS WEEK begins September 21st

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Follow us on Twitter! @friendsseaotter

Find us on Facebook!www.facebook.com/friendsoftheseaotter

EVENTS Markyourcalendars!Hereisthelistofsome of the events that Friends of the Sea Otter will be participating in this year.”

Otter DaysattheMontereyBayAquarium – September 20-21

Annual Member Meeting, MontereyBayAquariumAuditoriumat7pm with otter spotting in back of the Aquariumfrom6-6:45,September26th

OnFriday,September26at6pm,joinusforFriendsoftheSeaOtter’s(FSO)AnnualMeeting.FSO,inour46thyearofexistence,ishavingourfreeAnnualMeetingattheMontereyBayAquariumauditorium,whichisopentoall members of the public. The evening will start off with some otter spotting along the coastal access just behind the MontereyBayAquarium.TheeveningwillthenmovetotheauditoriumforaspecialtalkbyDr.TimTinker, “Sea otters live in space, and why that matters: how we asked the wrong questions for 25 years”,who will be presenting information on the latest scientific findings into factorsaffectingseaottersinCalifornia,thesurprisingreason why this population has grown more slowly than northern populations, and how we might help the population recover.

ThetalkbyDr.TinkerwillbeprecededbyanupdatefromJimCurland,FSO’sAdvocacyProgramDirector,ontheprojects FSO is working on and our efforts to help recover sea otter populations worldwide.

Makeyourplansearlytobeapartofthiseventandifyou come earlier in the week, you can take in some other talks and events that are happening as part of Sea Otter AwarenessWeek(September21-27).Checkourwebsite,www.seaotterweek.org, for more information.

Join us in September for Friends of the Sea Otter’s Annual Meeting!

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Friends of the Sea Otter Games!

Otter Word Scramble! Find these words, forwards, backwards, up and down, and diagonally

1) ABALONE 2) BIGSUR 3) CONSERVATION 4) FRIENDS 5) FUR 6) KELP 7) KEYSTONE 8) MONTEREY 9) OWINGS 10) PROTECT 11) PUP 12) RAFT 13) SEAOTTER14) URCHIN

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Across

4. Last name of the Founder of FSO6. These large organs enable sea otters to derive fresh water from sea water7. These type of ‘forests’ are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae family10. Latin name for sea otter12. Another member of the mustelidae family and the mascot for the University of Wisconsin

Down

1. Spiny prey for sea otters2. Oil spill that killed thousands of sea otters in 19893. Type of species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecosystem5. Species of shark known as a sea otter predator8. A baby sea otter9. Name of the Slough where FSO’s Live Sea Otter Camera is stationed11. Northwestern state known for sea otter rafts

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Sea Otter Crossword