The last week of September is Sea Otter Awareness Week! Partners near and far are coming together to celebrate all things sea otter, from their undeniable cute factor to their role as keystone predators.
This year’s theme is Restoring Missing Links. Sea otters were hunted to near extinction during the height of the fur trade, and remain absent from portions of their historic range. In celebrating these majestic mustelids, we aim to raise awareness, support conservation efforts, and advocate for marine wildlife.
Aquarium visitors can look forward to sea otter feeds and keeper chats throughout the week, a guest appearance from the Elakha Alliance on September 27, and otterly adorable social media content. The Aquarium is capping off the celebration on Saturday, September 30 with a Forage Feeding Frenzy! During the 10:30am feeding session, Aquarium mammalogists will offer the sea otters special prey items, including sea urchins, mussels and shelled clams. As the frenzy ensues, Curator Brittany Blades will explain how researchers observe wild sea otters. Visitors can even try their hand at sea otter science by collecting their own foraging data on the Aquarium’s sea otters. The forage feed will take place in the Aquarium’s sea otter habitat—tune in via the live otter cam!
Our partners are also holding events throughout the week. Join Sea Otter Savvy for a virtual Float Down the Coast; Monterey Bay Aquarium is hosting a livestream gaming session of Space Otter Charlie; and check out the Defenders of Wildlife livestream on sea otter reintroduction planning. View a full schedule of events here.
The Otters of Oregon Coast Aquarium
Oswald, Schuster, and Earle are the only permanent sea otter residents on the Oregon coast. All three came to the aquarium after being found stranded and deemed non-releasable. Here at the Aquarium, they forge connections between humans and marine life, acting as ambassadors for their wild counterparts.
Schuster: Schuster was found stranded on a California beach in October 2011 with a large wound on his side, suggesting he was bitten by a shark. He was taken to Monterey Bay Aquarium for treatment; orphaned and just 10 weeks old, he was declared non-releasable. Schuster came to his forever-home at OCAq in May 2012, where he was named after Steve Schuster, the pilot who donated his time and aircraft to transport him from California. Since then, Schuster has eaten countless clams and charmed countless fans.
Oswald: Oswald was found stranded as a pup on the coast of California in 2013; with his mother nowhere in sight, Oswald had been either abandoned or orphaned, and he was taken to Monterey Bay Aquarium for care. Oswald was chosen to be the first sea otter pup introduced to a resident female there named Gidget, a prospective surrogate. While their socialization was successful, Oswald was not eligible for release. He’s named after Oswald West, an Oregon governor who declared all Oregon beaches to be public.
Earle: In May 2021, at just three weeks old, Earle was found stranded at Asilomar State Marine Reserve in Pacific Grove, California. Either abandoned or orphaned and weighing a mere 6.5 pounds, the pup would have been unable to survive on his own. After receiving immediate care at Monterey Bay Aquarium, he was deemed non-releasable, and soon found a forever home with us! He is the smallest, youngest, and most vocal otter of the trio. Earle is named after Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer, scuba diver, and research scientist dedicated to conservation.
