A report from the U.S. Geological Survey reveals an increase in the rate of otter deaths along the Central Coast. 304-otters were found dead in 2010, between Half Moon Bay and Santa Barbara. That’s up from 232-otters in 2009. Researchers are trying to figure out why such a large number of the otters are dying from disease. A spring count last year recorded 27-hundred otters along the Central Coast. The Southern Sea Otter has been considered “threatened” since 1977.
