The otter is close to being qualified as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and is listed on the IUCN Red List.

GAI's senior biologist went to Seward, Alaska to assist the Alaska Sea Life Center in giving care to two sea otter pups they rescued from the Alaskan coast earlier this year. The pups received 24-hour monitoring by a team of biologists from facilities around the country.