As per the North American Model of wildlife conservation, river otters are held in the public trust by the ‘‘government’’ and are managed by state and federal agencies as well as by native tribes (Mahoney and Geist 2019). Agency-enforced regulations include restrictions on harvest, harvest season length, harvest methods, and bag limits.
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out
We surveyed state wildlife agency experts to assess the current population and regulatory status of river otters in their jurisdictions. River otters were legally harvested in 40 states as of 2016. Twenty-two states reported increasing populations while 25 reported stable populations, and 2 states (Arizona and Washington) reported an uncertain population trend. We estimated that river otter range in the continental United States expanded by 10.2% during from 1998 to 2016.
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
information about the state of populations --> For many furbearers, including river otter, harvest-based data are the only information
available with sufficient sample sizes large enough for robust analyses
Has any assessment of socio-economic sustainability been recorded
No assessment recorded
Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?
Unknown/not recorded
Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Strong community governance/institutions/rights for wildlife management
Absent
Supportive policy and legislative framework
Absent
Adequate capacity to implement and enforce governance arrangements
Absent
Good alignment of legal protections with local cultural values and traditional
Absent
Support from NGOs
Absent
Support from Government
Absent
High financial returns from use
Absent
Abundant population of target species
Absent
Biological characteristics of target species
Absent
Capacity building of community
Absent
Establishment and implementation of species and/or area management plan
Absent
Effective private sector approach engagement through certification
Roberts NM, Lovallo MJ, Crimmins SM. 2020. River otter status, management, and distribution in the United States: evidence of large-scale population increase and range expansion. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 11(1):279–286; e1944-687X. https://doi.org/10.3996/102018-JFWM-093