Results of the 1999 survey of the reintroduced sea otter population in Washington state

Fifty-nine sea otters were released off the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State during the summers of 1969 and 1970; all had been translocated from Amchitka Island, Alaska. In 1970, 30 otters were released. Surveys to assess the results of this translocation began in 1977. Up to 1989, the population has grown at near the maximum rate of increase (r_max) for sea otter populations of 17-20% yr^-1. Since 1989, however, the rate of increase appears to have declined to about 11% yr^-1. The results of the survey this year are encouraging and indicate the population has been growing at a finite rate of about 11% since 1989.