Sea Otters Spotted off Kiritappu Cape in Hokkaido

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:45 JST, May 17, 2023

Sea otters lie on their backs in the sea while they feed off Kiritappu Cape in Hamanaka, Hokkaido, fascinating tourists who watched from land. Up to 12 sea otters have been observed there this spring, the largest number since they started inhabiting the area in around 2016, according to Yoshihiro Kataoka, the head of nonprofit organization Etopirika Fund, which is engaged in research and conservation activities for sea birds and marine animals in Hokkaido. It seems the sea otters that used to live in known breeding grounds in the Chishima Islands and off Nemuro in the prefecture have moved close to Kiritappu Cape because there are plenty of shellfish to feed on there.