Sea otters are keystone species whose recovery benefits entire kelp forest ecosystems. Their welfare reflects the health of coastal marine environments and the impacts of past and present human activity.
Sea otter welfare is intertwined with ecosystem health in ways that illustrate the broader principle that individual animal welfare and ecological welfare are often inseparable. Oil spill contamination causes acute welfare harms: otters with oiled fur lose waterproofing and thermal insulation, causing hypothermia and death if not rescued and cleaned. Shark bites that kill nursing mothers leave dependent pups to starve. Entanglement in crab gear causes drowning. The social bonds of sea otter mothers and pups — documented as one of the strongest mammal-infant bonds in marine species — mean that orphaning causes significant distress. Otter welfare is best served by clean coastal waters, reduced fishing gear entanglement, and continuation of the Monterey Bay Aquarium rehabilitation program that has successfully returned hundreds of orphaned pups to the wild.