Species-Specific Management (SSM)

River Otter

The otter (Lutra canadensis) is found in largely undisturbed riparian areas throughout the southern Appalachians forests. There ore 20 subspecies north of Mexico. It does not tolerate disturbance or polluted waters and it has been called an indicator species for good or improved land and ecosystem conditions. It has valuable fur and unless seasons are well regulated the small isolated populations may be over harvested. Females are smaller than males. They nest in burrows and caves - some built by muskrats, beaver, and groundhog. Two to 4 young are born in Feb to April. Young stay in the nest for 100 days.

They eat fish, crayfish, frogs, clams, salamanders, snails, turtles, snakes, insects, muskrats, and birds. Mostly nocturnal and opportunistic. Young range widely (50 miles from the natal nest.)

Wetland losses (about 460,000 acres a year) reduce its habitat.

A preliminary set of ideas on how to improve conditions for the river otter follows:

1. Stop poaching (for fur)
2. Reduce water and wetland pollution
3. Prevent destruction of wetlands
4. Re-establish wetlands
5. Protect riparian areas (males range 40 miles)
6. Reduce harvest for fur to a well-studied level
7. Attempt selective trapping (large males)
8. Reduce poaching and illegal take
9. Increase fresh-water mussel populations
10. Increase sucker and carp fish populations
11. Restock select areas
12. Increase woodlands near stream, lake edges, and wetland edges
13. Increase fallen trees (and large tree tops from logging) at water edges
14. Create burrows or dens
15. Increase muskrat, beaver, and nearby groundhog populations
16. Increase rocky ledges along shorelines (riprap)
17. Increase crayfish populations
18. Improve water quality and reduce use of pesticides
19. Monitor population changes in response to management
20. Improve trapping, pelt handling, and pelt marketing
21. Work with active projects.

Maintain records of sightings, tracks seen within plots created for such counts, and fur take. Develop cost effective programs based on such observations and pass along the knowledge to others. See several sources in the Internet.

A contribution of B. Barbour (1991) and Kevin Cox
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0321

Reference and Notes:

Thomas L. Serfass, Ph.D.
North American Coordinator, IUCN Otter Specialist Group (2002)
Department of Biology
Frostburg State University
Frostburg, MD 21532
301-687-4171

Tumlison, R. and S. Shalaway 1985. An annotated bibliography on the North American river otter, Lutra canadensis, Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Dept. Zoology, Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK 32 pp.

This Web site is maintained by R. H. Giles, Jr.
Last revision September 24, 2002.