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Updated: 1:03 PM PDT Jul 25, 2023Infinite Scroll Enabled

Ariana Jaso

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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —

“Otter 841”, which has been spotted biting and stealing surfboards several times in Santa Cruz, has been making headlines nationwide. The otter has grown to be quite the attraction for locals and visitors. But now, many are concerned about recent incidents of people harassing other sea otters in the same area.

Local Santa Cruz photographer, Mark Woodward, who has been photographing Otter 841, recently captured photos that show kayakers and paddle boarders getting close to several otters. Woodward said just in the last week, he witnessed about ten incidents. He said he saw people cause a group of otters to flee and other times when people were just 2 feet away from an otter, causing it to flee as well.

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Experts point out that getting too close to sea otters causes them stress.

“If you’re going to move towards it, it’s going to flee and that’s going to cause them stress. And they’ll take away energy that otherwise would spend getting food, taking care of their young, managing the kelp forest, doing all the things that sea otters do,” said Dan Haifley, Board member of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

The Marine Mammal Protection Acts lists two levels of harassment. Level B harassments refers to acts that have the potential to disturb a marine mammal or stock in the wild.

Some locals in Santa Cruz worry about the harassment of the otters and emphasized that the Monterey Bay is their home.

“We’re the ones that have invaded their homes. And I think they should be left to be comfortable,” said Santa Cruz native, Rebecca Skaug.