How to Report a Stranded Sea Otter

Follow these steps if you come across an otter you think is ill or abandoned.

Don't touch it or try to catch it—doing so is illegal, and sea otters can bite.
Keep people and pets away from the otter. Don't wrap a stranded otter in a blanket—it will overheat very quickly.
Call one of the agencies listed AT RIGHT to report an otter in distress. Wildlife specialists will come and determine whether the otter needs help. If it does, they'll capture it and take it in for care.

Sea otters are protected under federal law!

They're protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Only authorized wildlife professionals—like our sea otter program staff—are allowed to catch or move them.

To report a stranded otter, contact one of the following agencies:

In Central California

Monterey Bay Aquarium
(831) 648-4840
(sea otter 24-hour emergency line)

The Marine Mammal Center
Moss Landing
(831) 633-6298

Monterey County SPCA
(831) 373-2631

Statewide

California Marine Mammal Center
(415) 289-7325

Celebrating 25 Years of Ocean Conservation