Action Alert – We Need Your Help!

Here’s the deal:

  • The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) is in the process of revising the Oregon State Wildlife Action Plan. The Oregon State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) provides a science-based roadmap to address state conservation priorities by identifying key threats—like habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species—and outlining proactive Conservation Actions.
  • Good news – sea otters are listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the current draft of the revised SWAP!
  • The not so good news – the draft plan does not include any recommended Conservation Actions for sea otters.

We need your help! The SWAP is an opportunity to identify conservation actions for sea otters in Oregon, and it is only updated every 10 years. ODFW is accepting comments on the final draft SWAP until July 31, 2025. Please take a few minutes ask ODFW to include Conservation Actions in the 2025 to support reintroducing sea otters to Oregon.

Submit Comment by July 31st

Suggested comment language:

I strongly support listing sea otters as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the revised State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). The draft plan does not, however, include any recommended Conservation Actions, including sea otter reintroduction to Oregon, to support this designation. 

Sea otters are a keystone species. Their presence promotes and protects the biological health and productivity of nearshore kelp beds and eelgrass in estuaries. In so doing, they promote carbon sequestration and help fight causes of climate change. Sea otters are also of profound importance to the culture of Oregon’s coastal Indian tribes.

Reintroduction is a proven conservation strategy. Roughly 35% of today’s global sea otter populations come from reintroduction efforts in places like Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. These efforts are a well-established tool in sea otter recovery.

Reintroduction would help restore population connectivity between northern and southern sea otter subspecies, strengthening genetic diversity and long-term resilience. Oregon historically served as a mixing zone for these two subspecies, and restoring this connectivity would benefit the entire species.

Oregon’s coastline is a critical gap in the sea otter’s range. Reestablishing a sea otter population in Oregon would reduce risks to the species from oil spills and disease, create a more stable geographic distribution, and strengthen species-wide persistence.

Given the best available science and the success of previous efforts, I urge ODFW to include reintroduction as a priority Conservation Action in the updated sea otter species profile. 

Thank you!