Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) are a threatened species, and their recovery is in part dependent on their use of estuaries. A greater understanding of the relationship among sea otters, their prey species, and habitat types can provide insight into both top-down and bottom-up factors affecting sea otters in estuarine ecosystems. Morro Bay, CA has seen a significant increase in the population of southern sea otters over the last decade. The goal of this project is to investigate the temporal and spatial patterns of sea otter foraging behavior and diet throughout the Morro Bay estuary. To do this, we will analyze six years of ongoing sea otter foraging behavior and diet data collected in Morro Bay, which includes information on foraging location, taxa of prey, number and size of prey, handling time, dive time, tool use, and environmental conditions. We will compare these data with annual habitat mapping of Morro Bay to investigate how behavior and diet vary spatially and across different habitats (e.g., eelgrass, sandy bottom) within the estuary. Understanding how sea otters utilize different habitats within an estuary, particularly during the ongoing recovery of their population, will provide critical data that can aid in species recovery range-wide.

Morgan Martinez is a first-year master’s student in Biological Sciences at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She is studying southern sea otter foraging behavior and diet in Morro Bay, California, under the advisement of Dr. Heather Liwanag. She earned her B.A. in Marine Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Since graduating, Morgan has evaluated Marine Protected Areas worldwide, researched biofouling in Maryland, and studied marine predator diets and zooplankton off the coast of California. She is passionate about conservation ecology and hopes to continue conducting research that will protect our marine ecosystems for future generations.