Examining the welfare dimensions of sea otter population recovery along the Pacific coast, including entanglement risks, disease pressures, and the balance between conservation management and individual animal wellbeing.
Sea otter welfare operates at the intersection of individual animal care and population-level conservation. Stranded individuals receive intensive veterinary care at facilities like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but the systemic welfare threats — harmful algal blooms, shark attacks, fishing entanglement, and disease — require population-scale interventions. The welfare case for sea otter protection is also an ecological case: healthy otter populations maintain kelp forest ecosystems that benefit countless other species. Climate-driven changes to ocean conditions create emerging welfare challenges that existing recovery plans may not fully address.