Evidence of River Otter (Lontra canadensis) recolonization of Prince Edward Island, Canada

Authors

  • Garry Gregory Fish and Wildlife Division PEI Department of Environment Energy and Climate Action
  • Rosemary Curley Canadian citizen
  • Cornelya F.C. Klütsch NIBIO, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v137i1.2961

Keywords:

River Otter, Lontra canadensis, Prince Edward Island, breeding, dispersal

Abstract

River Otter (Lontra canadensis) was extirpated from Prince Edward Island (PEI) in the early 1900s as a result of habitat loss and overexploitation. Although there were isolated and sporadic occurrences in PEI coastal and inland waters pre-1975, only anecdotal reports of tracks or sightings of the species had been documented in the 21st century, until an adult male otter was captured in a beaver trap in 2016. Since then, seven additional individuals have been collected opportunistically or as by-catch of beaver trapping, including an adult female and a kit (juvenile). Camera traps have also revealed what appears to be a family group in central PEI. A growing body of evidence strongly suggests a resident River Otter population on PEI. The island is separated from the mainland by the Northumberland Strait, which has a minimum width of 13 km of salt water. River Otters have naturally recolonized PEI by dispersing across the Northumberland Strait.

Author Biographies

Garry Gregory, Fish and Wildlife Division PEI Department of Environment Energy and Climate Action

Garry Gregory, Msc., is a Wildlife Biologist with the Prince Edward Island Department of Environment, Energy, and Climate Action. His work includes habitat conservation, as well as furbearer and game population management. He completed a Master thesis on Muskrat populations on PEI

Rosemary Curley, Canadian citizen

Retired Biologist, President, Nature PEI, Board Member of Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre and  Hillsborough River Association,  Member of PEI Invasive Species Council, Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologists, Island Nature Trust, Atlantic Canada Coastal and Estuarine Society, Former Board Member of Canadian Council on Invasive Species. Recipient of Senate Canada 150 Medal.

Cornelya F.C. Klütsch, NIBIO, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources

Cornelya F. C. Klutsch, PhD

Research Scientist
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
Division of Environmental Research in the Barents Region

NIBIO Svanhovd, Svanhovd, NO-9925 Svanvik

Downloads

Published

2024-01-15

Issue

Vol. 137 No. 1 (2023)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright for Canadian Field-Naturalist content is held by the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, except for content published by employees of federal government departments, in which case the copyright is held by the Crown. In-copyright content available at the Biodiversity Heritage Library is available for re-use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. For usage of content at the BHL for purposes other than those allowed under this licence, contact us.

 

To request use of copyright material,  please contact our editor, Dr. Dwayne Lepitzki: editor -at- canadianfieldnaturalist -dot- ca