MBNMS: California Sea Otter Game Refuge

This refuge extends in the north from the Carmel River to the Santa Rosa Creek in San Luis Obispo County in the south. The Sea Otter Education Center, located just east of Carmel, is a good stopping place for information on both sea otters and the refuge itself.

The preferred habitat of sea otters is in sheltered 50-75 foot deep waters. They can be found around rocky islands, small coves, or in kelp beds. They often wrap themselves up in kelp and float together in large groups, called rafts. The largest raft of sea otters ever seen was over 2000 otters. They are most frequently seen floating on their backs, eating, grooming themselves, or snoozing in the sun.

Sea otters used to be found all along the west coast of North America, from Baja to Alaska. It's been estimated their numbers were once in the millions. Overzealous fur traders hunted them to near extinction. In fact, by the early 1900's they were thought to have been wiped out entirely, until 1938, when a California couple spotted a group off the Big Sur coast. Even though the number of sea otters has been making a slow recovery, their territory is still very much diminished. They can be found in only two small remaining areas, one around Alaska and the other in central California centered along the Big Sur coastline .

Although sea otters are often thought of as the "Teddy Bears of the Sea," they are wild animals. You'll need keep a good distance, viewing them with binoculars or telescopes. Do not to try to get close or to feed them. If you'd like to see otters more "up close and personal," the Monterey Bay Aquarium has an excellent exhibit featuring live otters.

For more information, check out the websites for Friends of the Sea Otter or the Otter Project.