Wildlife officials holding open houses to discuss Oregon and California sea otter recovery

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.”