CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Wyoming Senate voted to remove the otter’s protective status in Wyoming. HB0045 passed on third reading in both the House and Senate, and will now go before Governor Gordon for final consideration.
Other “protected animals” in the state include the black-footed ferret, fisher, lynx, pika and wolverine. The northern river otter (Lontra canadensis), which is native to Wyoming, would be the only animal impacted with the passing of HB0045.
Teton County Representative Andrew Byron spoke to Buckrail about his reasons for introducing the House Bill to the State Legislature.
“We were having issues in a number of different waterways in western Wyoming, and I asked the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) to see what were the different opportunities for relocating the otters,” Byron said.
Byron was informed by WGFD officials that otter relocation has not been possible since their Protected Species designation in 1953.
According to the WGFD, the species gained protective status after they were largely wiped out due to fur trapping, pollution and habitat degradation, though they persisted within Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and Yellowstone National Park (YNP). In the past decades, otters have expanded south and east from YNP and GTNP.
Byron, who was a former fishing guide, introduced the change to the otter statute after fishing at a favorite spot in Teton County.
“I was thinking it would be great to keep this fish population in this small creek,” Byron said. “Otters were cruising through it. We were having a lot of fish count issues on that piece of water, and it was the first time I had seen otters in that little side stream in a long, long time.”
Even with the passing of the bill, Byron said that Wyoming’s otters would still be protected under the management of the WGFD. He said that WGFD officials would be able to manage the animals on a case-by-case basis for conflict, with the ability to relocate them if needed.
WGFD Public Information Officer Amanda Fry told Buckrail that if HB0045 passes, then the river otter would automatically be classified as a “nongame species,” in accordance with Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Regulation, Chapter 52 Take of Nongame Wildlife from within Wyoming. She said that a nongame species would not be subject to hunting or trapping seasons, because there is not sufficient baseline population data to support or justify regulated recreational hunting.
Chapter 52 does though allow for the “lethal and nonlethal removal of nongame wildlife in conflict situations for scientific research and educational purposes,” per the WGFD Legislative Information Sheet.
On Feb. 11, Ph.D University of Wyoming Professor Merav Ben-David, who has monitored otter recovery, testified before the House and Senate that the passing of the HB0045 Bill is premature because it would prohibit the species’ expansion to other places in the state.
Dr. Ben-David told Buckrail that the University’s Wyoming wildlife observations system (WOS) has been collecting data on “verified” otter observations in various years ranging from 2002 to 2023. She said that the WOS collects public photographs, videos, and more recently, camera traps.
“As scientists we submit data on direct observations, radio-tracking, as well as activity sites (for otters called latrines) where otters have been identified from genetic analyses of feces,” Dr. Ben-David said.
According to Dr. Ben-David’s research, observations reported in the WOS has demonstrated that otter sightings in the Green River Basin, YNP and in statewide watersheds have decreased over time. She even went as far as to say that otter “latrine” sites suggest that the aquatic mammals are seldom seen in the state, and their population numbers are struggling.
