COW LAKE, Alta. — River otters have never been abundant in Alberta, but their numbers seem to be increasing.
Wildlife officials are trying to count them but they can be elusive in the lakes and rivers of the boreal forest, northern foothills and eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
“The problem with otters is there is no easy way to track them,” said Chara Feder of Alberta Environment.
“We are trying to understand their density.”
Trappers and the public are asked to report sightings.
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Their presence is good and bad news.
“When they return it is a good indicator of a healthy ecosystem,” Feder told a farm tour group in Clearwater County.
However, they are fish eaters, and sportsmen complain about their appetite for trout, pike and perch. A large group of otters can clean out a restocked water body.
“We know that they typically do not have a big impact on the resource,” she said, although they can clean out the fish in small lakes and streams.
They do not usually eat trout be-cause they are a fast fish, but trout are more sluggish in winter and the otters will go after them, said Feder.
“If they impact the resource too much, they will need to move on because they have run out of food.”
