Otter populations have recovered significantly following water quality improvements but face ongoing threats. Supporting otter welfare requires attention to the health of entire river ecosystems.
Otter welfare is intimately connected to the health of the freshwater ecosystems they inhabit. Individual welfare challenges include toxin accumulation from contaminated fish prey, drowning in eel traps and fish cages, road mortality at river crossings, and habitat disturbance at natal holts during breeding. Systemic threats including agricultural water pollution, invasive species competition, and climate change affecting prey fish populations affect population welfare more broadly. The recovery of otters following pesticide restrictions demonstrates that policy changes based on welfare evidence can produce significant positive outcomes at population scale.