Last July, three Aquarium staff members participated in the annual Washington sea otter survey, marking 13 years of our participation since the annual survey began in 1989. They were joined by representatives from the U.S. and Washington Fish & Wildlife Services, Olympic National Park, University of Washington, and Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.
While numbers for 2013 are not yet available, 1,105 otters were counted in 2012. Overall, the long-term increase for Washington sea otters since 1989 has been 7.9%.
Learn more about sea otters during the Aquarium’s second Sea Otter Awareness Weekend, September 28–29!