Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) Hauling Out with Seals

Observation: The sea otters are growing to numbers we have not seen in recent history. It may be the reason our shellfish harvests for cockles and Emma clams have been dropping. We have observed large groups of harbor seals and spotted seal hauling out along the coastline near Port Heiden along with the otters. We are also seeing more sea lions hauling out.

LEO says: This is an interesting change with the otters hauling out in large numbers in areas and sharing space with other marine mammals. It must be quite something to see. We were unsure of what species an "Emma" clam is, so we asked for some help from Bruce Wright, a biologist and shellfish expert.

Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association Consult: Bruce Wright, writes, "The Emma clam looks to be an Alaska razor clam. It’s a favorite food for humans and sea otters. The sea otters eat up to 80 pounds of clams and other shellfish daily, so it won’t take long for them to deplete your clam population. In protected areas it’s not unusual to see sea otters haul out and sometimes they co-occur with other marine mammals."