The Eurasian otter was once extirpated from most of Norway due to hunting, but after being protected it has recently made a comeback in Western Norway. 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.
Otters also meddle in the affairs of local industry, f. ex. by eating salmon in fish farms. Some local stakeholders now ask for decisive management action, including culling of otters. However, it is not clear how, where, and when otters actually affect salmon stocks, how various stakeholders view the conflict, or what potential mitigation measures would be effective and acceptable to both stakeholders, wildlife management agencies, and the regional population in general.
In the RePress project, we investigate and seek to alleviate the otter-human conflict in the region Sunnmøre in Western Norway. By tagging salmon with radio tags, we have found that the predation effect on salmon stocks varies among years and among rivers.
We will also tag otters to reveal their behaviour and feeding habits along the rivers. Stakeholder and management perceptions of otters, salmon, and "acceptable" management of coastal ecosystems are explored through surveys, interviews, and local focus groups. Preliminary results indicate that local people's attitudes towards controlling nature and culling otters vary with age.
Finally, we have investigated the possibility of scaring otters away from conflict hotspots by testing various deterrents along the coast and in zoos, and the most promising methods are this year being tested along salmon rivers.
Combined, the findings will increase our knowledge of otters and salmon, and how to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in general.
