Sea otters are keystone species of kelp forest ecosystems whose recovery from near-extinction remains fragile, with ongoing welfare threats from oil spills, entanglement, shark bites, and climate-driven food scarcity.
Sea otters occupy an ecologically irreplaceable role in Pacific coastal ecosystems, and their welfare intersects deeply with the health of the kelp forests they help sustain. Individual sea otter welfare is shaped by access to sufficient prey, freedom from oil contamination, protection from shark predation, and the quality of maternal care during the vulnerable pup stage. The Monterey Bay Aquarium conducts pioneering rehabilitation work with orphaned sea otter pups, using surrogate otter mothers to ensure pups develop appropriate wild behaviors before release. Climate change poses an emerging welfare threat through warmer ocean temperatures that reduce kelp coverage and shellfish prey availability, increasing energetic stress for foraging otters. Conservation investments that protect kelp forest ecosystems simultaneously protect sea otter welfare and the entire coastal marine community.