Lee Kadinger, Chief of Operations for Sealaska Heritage Institute, speaks about sustainable use of sea otter pelts at the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder meeting at the Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Lee Kadinger, Chief of Operations for Sealaska Heritage Institute, speaks about sustainable use of sea otter pelts at the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder meeting at the Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

The sounds and the furry: Sea otters are back, and they’re changing the environment

• Resurgent sea otters are shaping ecosystems • Stakeholder meeting focuses on possible solutions to growing sea otter population

A century after humans hunted sea otters to near extinction in Alaska, the otters are back, and it’s their turn to hunt.

Sea otters were nearly wiped out because of fur trade-related hunting during the 1800s, according to framing documents for a Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder Meeting held Wednesday at the Alaska State Library, Archives and Museum. In the 1960s, 412 otters from Amchitka Island and Prince William Sound were introduced to sites around Southeast Alaska.

“Those populations have now grown and spread throughout much of Southeast Alaska,” said Tim Tinker with Nhydra Ecological Consulting during a presentation. “The density has also increased in areas. That was a really remarkable pattern in increase in range and increase in population.”

There’s now an estimated 25,584 sea otters in Southeast Alaska, and the voracious animals are tangibly affecting ecosystems and businesses.

“If you’ve got more sea otters over time, that means more predation on their important prey resources,” Tinker said.

The effects of the still-growing otter population and what could and should be done to address it were discussed during the morning portion of the Wednesday meeting.

Video

Sea otters consume up to a quarter of its body weight every day, according to the meeting’s framing documents. That’s about 15 to 25 pounds of food.

[Otter hunting makes earrings for Aleut artist]

Their prey in Southeast Alaska includes sea cucumber, geoduck, red sea urchin, abalone and dungeness crab among others.

“We have fairly compelling evidence in our data sets that show once sea otters move into an area, these species rapidly decline,” said Kyle Heber, fisheries biologist for Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Phil Doherty with Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association, said the voracious animals have a negative impact for dive fisheries since fewer invertebrates translates to less money for dive fishers.

Not just bad news

Otters aren’t just a slick-furred wave of pestilence rolling through Southeast’s waters. Some nearby locales are purposefully trying to replicate the presence of otters.

Lynn Lee, a marine ecologist with Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, said at the Canadian national park located near the southern tip of Haida Gwaii, they’re actually trying to mimic otter predation.

Lee

Lee said without otters, the urchin population is threatening the area’s kelp forests, which are desirable because they increase shoreline protection, increase the carbon cycle, lessen ocean acidification and provide habitat and breeding area for desirable fish.

[Presentation seeks to solve fur or food sea otter question]

“Having giant kelp around is really good for herring,” Lee said.

Within areas where humans have removed urchins, Lee said there has been visible improvements in kelp health and biodiversity.

“It’s like a clear cut on land that is growing back,” Lee said. “After a decade, you start to get all of these species coming back.”

While it may mean fewer sea cucumbers and urchins, Lee said otter presence could mean more rockfish, herring and possibly large shellfish over time.

“The conditions we have today are the result of the loss of sea otters, and now we’re learning to re-live with sea otters as they come back into the system,” she added.

Possible solutions

If limiting sea otter population is the desired direction, harvesting the animals could be part of the solution.

It was one of the main ideas for curbing otter population shared during the meeting’s afternoon session.

Alaska Natives are allowed to harvest the otters under an exemption in the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Tinker said there’s some evidence that harvesting the animals has had an impact on their numbers in Southeast.

“If there had been no harvest, there would be slightly more sea otters than there are now,” he said. “Maybe 5% more sea otters. It’s measurable, but it’s not incredibly huge.”

Tinker

When harvested, otters are typically used for their fur, which is an effort encouraged by Sealaska Heritage Institute’s skin-sewing workshops that are part of a sustainable arts program. So, creating more demand for sea otter fur could be part of a solution, stakeholders said.

Chief Operating Officer for SHI Lee Kadinger said since SHI received funding for training skin sewers in 2013, a total of 360 people have been trained in beginning skin sewing and 28 people have been trained in advanced skin sewing.

In 2012, there were five artists making sea otter products, in 2019 there are 44 artists making sea otter products, Kadinger said.

“Prior to the reintroduction of sea otters in Southeast Alaska, there were no sea otters here, so that lost art of skin sewing. It was a lost art, so the need for training was very high,” Kadinger said.

Lynn Lee with the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve in British Columbia speaks about the restoration of sea kelp beds at the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder meeting at the Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Lynn Lee with the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve in British Columbia speaks about the restoration of sea kelp beds at the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder meeting at the Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Tim Tinker with Nhydra Ecological Consulting speaks about sea otter populations in Southeast Alaska at the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder meeting at the Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Tim Tinker with Nhydra Ecological Consulting speaks about sea otter populations in Southeast Alaska at the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder meeting at the Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

More in News

KTOO, Juneau's public radio station, is photographed in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Public radio facing cuts as Congress moves to pull back funding

KTOO could lose one-third of its budget if the House passes a bill cutting funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting

Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo
The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14.
Ships in port for the week of July 19

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, July 17, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

The Mendenhall River roars more than 13 feet above normal levels in August 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Suicide Basin predicted to fill by Aug. 8

The change in the prediction of when the basin will fill was based on heavy rain last week

Most Read