SANTA CRUZ, California -- After a decade of steady recovery, the southern sea otter — a federally listed threatened species — is in decline for the second year in a row, according to the latest population survey by U.S. Geological Survey researchers.

"We have seen a decrease in sea otter numbers throughout most of their range, particularly in those areas where most of their reproduction occurs, while pup counts have dropped to 2003 levels," says Tim Tinker of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center and lead scientist for the annual survey. "A number of human and natural factors may be influencing this trend, and we are working to better understand what those are."

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