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Sea Otter Increased Death Rate Raises Concerns About Species Survival

304  bodies of sea otters were found on the California coast this past year.  That is up from the past two years when the number of deaths was in the 230’s.  2010 saw a lost of 11.2 % of the sea otter population up from less than 9% the past few years.  The cause of the increase is not known.  Two factors that have led to sea otter deaths are a toxic bacteria called microcystin or blue -green algae and shark attacks.  These are do not explain the increase.  Last spring the population count for sea otters was 2,719.  To read more go to SF Gate: Sea otter deaths jump in 2010.