Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: madcow41 on January 03, 2021, 02:41:47 PM

Title: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: madcow41 on January 03, 2021, 02:41:47 PM: I’m doing a wildlife management project for a class I’m in. I was looking for anecdotal accounts of Sea otter sightings in Western Washington. just curious where you guys have been seeing them if you guys have been seeing them and what kind of numbers. This is not official by any means and the information will not be use to draw any statistical conclusions however, the information will be helpful nonetheless.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: morgan on January 03, 2021, 02:56:01 PM: Seen otters around where I work. Down on the Tacoma tideflats, Blair waterway, Georgia pacific gypsum to be exact.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: morgan on January 03, 2021, 03:00:06 PM: I have seen 3 of them bobbing around our dock. Makes my day when I see them.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: jay.sharkbait on January 03, 2021, 03:13:06 PM: So do river otters in salt count?
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: JimmyHoffa on January 03, 2021, 03:27:43 PM: I've seen them around the rocks by the Port Townsend lighthouse and also along the coast.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: Stein on January 03, 2021, 04:57:19 PM: There is one that lives around the dock at West Beach Resort on Orcas Island.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: pd on January 03, 2021, 05:32:06 PM: Here you go.

These things are everywhere. They especially like to live underneath waterfront homes (I hear they poop a lot, and the mess is very smelly, but I don't have first hand experience with that).
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: branches on January 03, 2021, 05:40:35 PM: We see them at Sand Point on the coast.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: CP on January 03, 2021, 05:44:37 PM: I’ve seen them off the East side of Orcas Island and off the West side of Whidbey. They seem to frequent kelp beds and float around on their backs while eating crabs.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: WSU on January 03, 2021, 09:41:53 PM: There are plenty in Olympia.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: Cylvertip on January 03, 2021, 11:45:21 PM: Quote from: pd on January 03, 2021, 05:32:06 PM
Here you go.

These things are everywhere. They especially like to live underneath waterfront homes (I hear they poop a lot, and the mess is very smelly, but I don't have first hand experience with that).

River otter in the video
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: Widgeondeke on January 04, 2021, 12:06:29 AM: Westport, there were 3 fishin along the rocks
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: Humptulips on January 04, 2021, 12:11:26 AM: Yea, those are not sea otter either. River otter spend a lot of time in the salt.
I doubt you are going to be seeing sea otter in the Sound until you get up towards the San Juans and along the coast close to the shore.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: Rob on January 04, 2021, 03:39:30 AM: I saw groups of 20+ on the west side of tatoosh in 2019. We would see 2 or three in prior years but the population exploded in the past couple years.

I have photos if you want me to dig them up.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: jay.sharkbait on January 04, 2021, 06:26:10 AM: Quote from: Humptulips on January 04, 2021, 12:11:26 AM
Yea, those are not sea otter either. River otter spend a lot of time in the salt.
I doubt you are going to be seeing sea otter in the Sound until you get up towards the San Juans and along the coast close to the shore.

Thats why I asked. I would say anything south of PT would most likely be a river otter.
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: Rob on January 04, 2021, 07:17:01 AM: Found the photos.

There are several in the zoom-out shot
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: Rob on January 04, 2021, 07:18:06 AM: There are Elephant Seals out there too by the way...
Title: Re: Sea Otter sightings
Post by: jamesfromseattle on January 08, 2021, 10:10:50 AM: I see them pretty regularly bobbing around out off the kelp between Sekiu and Neah Bay. Usually see at least one or two a day when fishing around there. Never seen a big group like Rob, though. Cool critters.