why are sea otters hunted'
Sea Otter. The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family and the smallest marine mammal. Ninety percent of the worldâs sea otters live in coastal Alaska. The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects sea otters. It prohibits commercial harvest of sea otters, and allows Alaska natives to hunt sea otters for subsistence and creation of handicrafts. Sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction in the late 1700s and 1800s through commercial harvest for their luxurious furs. Once commercial harvest ceased, sea otter numbers rebounded and they re-colonized much of their former range. Sea otter numbers have declined in southwestern Alaska over the past 20 years.