The otter harvest in Louisiana sometimes exceeds 10,000 animals, higher than in any other state. Otters have few natural enemies, especially in water. On land, young otters are vulnerable to a variety of predators such as the fox, wolf and raptors. Most otter mortality is related to humans. Legal otter harvests remove animals above what the habitat will support.
Otters are fairly easily trapped and accidental trapping, primarily in beaver traps, is a problem.
River otters do well in Alaska and most of Canada, in the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes and most states along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico. The good news is that Nebraska , New York and Indiana are re-introducing otters. Otter populations are extremely sensitive to changes in habitat. They have disappeared from nine states and one Canadian province. The primary cause of decline was habitat pollution and destruction.