Asian Small-Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual (1998)

1. Analyses of dead otters and of their food supply for pollutants to assess potential threats to thepopulation in the Jordan catchment.2. Deduce levels of pollution in watercourses of the coastal plain.JapanSpecies PresentEurasian otterStatus and DistributionAlthough the Eurasian otter was historically found throughout Japan it is probably nearly extirpatedtoday. In 1986, a dead otter was found in Kouchi Prefecture, but since then no other living or deadotters have been sighted, and their continued existence has been confirmed only through field signs. Thenumber of field signs has been decreasing year by year, but there remains some possibility that a fewindividuals still exist in southwest Kochi Prefecture.Legal StatusThe Eurasian otter has been protected as a special national natural monument of Japan since 1965.Threats1. The main reason for their decline is water pollution and the destruction of their habitat by industrialdevelopment, agricultural chemicals, and synthetic detergents. Water pollution has caused thedepletion of their food and may have directly damaged their health.2. Otters have been rapidly losing their habitat due to the destruction of shores and banksides, andthrough the construction of many dams in the mountains.3. Otters are considered by fisherman to be competitors. This conflict has undermined conservationefforts.4. Hunting for fur (for domestic markets) may still be a problem in the last remaining possible otterhabitat, in Kochi Prefecture.Conservation Priorities1. A thorough survey needs to be undertaken in the areas where there is a possibility of the otters'existence, especially in southeast Kochi Prefecture, to assess how many otters remain.2. The remaining otter habitat needs to be protected from any disturbances. All industrial developmentshould be banned in this area and the water quality needs to be strictly controlled. Strict laws mustbe enforced to prohibit hunting or harming any remaining otters.3. As depletion of clean fish reserves is thought to be a principal reason for the decline of otters, fishcultivation ponds could be set up within the habitat of the otter.4. Captive breeding and reintroduction projects should be seriously considered in Japan.5. Public education needs to be carried out to resolve opposition to otter conservation.JordanSpecies PresentAsian Small-Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual/Action Plan74