Return of the otter: Aggravation of human-wildlife conflict and potential for mitigation strategies for coastal areas under pressure (RePress)

The Eurasian otter was once extirpated from most of Norway due to hunting, but after being protected it has recently made a comeback along the western coast. This has reignited a classic human-wildlife conflict, which often occurs when humans and predators compete for the same resources. In this case, otters and fishers both target the prized and endangered Atlantic salmon, whose numbers in many rivers have been dwindling as the coastal ecosystems have come under increasing pressure from human activities. Some local stakeholders now ask for decisive management action, including culling of otters, to save the salmon populations. However, it is not clear how, where, and when otters affect salmon stocks, how various stakeholders view the conflict, or what potential mitigation measures would be effective, sustainable, and acceptable to both stakeholders, wildlife management agencies and the regional population in general.

In the RePress project, we seek to investigate and alleviate the otter-human conflict in the region Sunnmøre in Western Norway. We will quantify otter predation in time and space by tagging salmon with radio tags, and simultaneously tag otters to reveal their behavior and feeding habits along the rivers. Stakeholder and management perceptions of otters, salmon and "acceptable" management of coastal ecosystems will be explored through surveys, interviews and local focus groups. Finally, the possibility of scaring otters away from "salmon hotspots" will be investigated by testing various deterrents along rivers, in zoos, and on aquaculture facilities. Combined, the findings will increase our knowledge of otter and salmon interactions, and offer guidelines on how to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in general.