A group seeks to reintroduce sea otters along the West Coast

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A nonprofit group that aims to protect endangered species asked the U.S. The Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday that it would reintroduce sea-otters to the West Coast, from Northern California to Oregon.

Threatened southern sea otters occupy only 13% of their historic range, with a small population of the mammals currently living on California’s central coast, the Center for Biological Diversity said.

“Bringing the sea otter back to the broader West Coast would be an unparalleled conservation success story,” said Kristin Carden, a senior scientist at the Arizona-based group. “Not only would the sea otters thrive, but they would also help restore vital kelp forest and seagrass ecosystems.”

Under the Endangered Species act, the petition suggests that reintroductions occur between San Francisco Bay and Oregon. It also asks for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s assessment of the feasibility to reintroduce the species from Southern California into Baja California and Mexico.

North America’s smallest marine mammal, sea otters rely on dense fur to keep warm, attracting commercial fur traders who began slaughtering them in the mid-1700s.

The Center for Biological Diversity stated that Traders almost drove the species to extinction by wiping out 99%. Reintroductions have been successful in reestablishing sea otter populations across Canada’s British Columbia and Alaska as well as Washington State, Washington State, and California.