Only the occasional sea otter swims in Puget Sound, yet the adorable marine mammal is a local mascot. Cuddly cartoon otters appear on posters lining our waterfront and appear on their fair share of “Greetings from Seattle” postcards. Meanwhile, on Washington’s outer coast, a recently reintroduced population of sea otters is on the rise. As part of the Beasts of Seattle podcast series, Town Hall’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Samantha Allen interviews Return of the Sea Otter author Todd McLeish, Dr. Shawn Larson of the Seattle Aquarium, and other experts about what the sea otter means to Seattle.

Credits:
This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program.
The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com.
The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins.
Return of the Sea Otter is available from Penguin Random House.

Sources:
https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00314
https://www.seattleaquarium.org/
https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2001/06-07/0013_sea_otter_found_way_off_track.html
https://www.vox.com/2014/4/24/5640890/otters-rape-baby-seals-monsters-bad
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210914-how-sea-otters-help-fight-climate-change
https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/blogs/comments/chloe_the_sea_otter_demonstrates_otter_pockets
https://www.seattleaquarium.org/blog/how-low-can-you-go-puget-sound-edition
https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/puget-sound-wa/
https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-coast.htm
https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/environment-and-planning/2021-01-06/sea-otter-reintroduction-to-more-of-the-pacific-coast-gets-a-nudge-from-congress
https://www.ktoo.org/2018/12/24/alaska-made-sea-otter-pelts-are-highly-prized-tightly-regulated/
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=637