Oregon Coast Aquarium's Otters will Celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week

By Cindy Hansen

Newport, OR - The Oregon Coast Aquarium will observe Sea Otter Awareness Week September 27 – October 3, 2009, a week long event to educate the public about the integral role that sea otters play in the marine ecosystem.

The week’s activities will include talks by mammalogists, sea otter crafts and an abundance of literature about sea otters’ natural history and adaptations. For more information about national observances, visit http://www.defenders.org/seaotter/awareness.

Sea Otter Awareness Week Schedule

Sunday through Saturday, September 27 – October 3

Each day - Lobby – Sea Otter Station – Learn all about the sea otter

Each day - Sea otter craft

Each day - Public sea otter feedings at 10:30 am, 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm

Sunday, September 27

Talk by mammalogist - 1:30

Face Painting – Classroom -1:00-2:30

Sea otter encounter - 12:30, Ages 8 & up, reservations: 541- 867-3474 x 2313

Friday, October 2

Sea otter encounter - 12:30, Ages 8 & up, reservations: 541- 867-3474 x 2313

Talk by mammalogist - 1:30

Saturday, October 3

Face Painting – Classroom -1:00-2:30

Sea otter encounter - 12:30, Ages 8 & up, reservations: 541- 867-3474 x 2313

Talk by mammalogist - 1:30

Sea otter encounter - 12:30, Ages 8 & up, reservations: 541- 867-3474 x 2313

The last sea otter in Oregon was trapped near Newport in 1906. Sea Otters once ranged in number along the coasts of the North Pacific, from Russia and northern Japan, throughout the Aleutians, down the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia, to as far south as Baja. Scientists estimate up to 300,000 sea otters once inhabited this area. That changed in 1741 when traders realized that sea otter pelts were sought after for the unusually dense fur that enables them to survive in cold seas without the blubber of whales or sea lions. Of the three remaining subspecies of sea otters around the world, two are found here in North America: the southern, or California sea otter and the northern sea otter. The third subspecies is the Russian sea otter.

Sea otters play a critical role in the marine ecosystem as a keystone species. They promote a healthy kelp forest that, in turn, supports thousands of organisms. Sea otters are also an indicator or sentinel species. They are dying of diseases that have land-based connections. Since humans and sea otters eat many of the same seafood items, high rates of sea otter disease may be a warning for both human health and marine ecosystem health.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium has participated in a sea otter breeding loan program with the Seattle Aquarium. Two sea otter pups born there are the offspring of Adaa, who was sent to Seattle on breeding loan from the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Adaa’s first pup, a male named Chugach, was born in 2005, to Aniak who was a first time mother. The second pup, named Alki, also a male, was born in 2005 to Lootas.

“The Oregon Coast Aquarium is very fortunate in having the largest sea otter exhibit in North America and in addition, it is well designed with lots of visual barriers so the guys can each stake out a small territory out of sight of the others,” said Judy Tuttle, Aquarium Curator of Mammals.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational attraction dedicated to the highest quality aquatic and marine science programs for recreation and education so the public better understands, cherishes, and conserves the world’s natural marine and coastal resources. Contact: Cindy Hanson, Public Relations Manager, at (541) 867-3474 ext. 5224 Visit our web site for more information www.aquarium.org.

Photo Caption: Sea Otters use their stomachs as a "table" when they dine. Learn all about Sea Otters during Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Oregon Coast Aquarium September 27 - October 3, 2009. Photo by Cindy Hanson

To view Oregon Coast Aquarium on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-9-Oregon_Coast_Aquarium