Ensuring that sea otters have good, clean, healthy habitat is essential to their survival and recovery. The Otter Project is working to end the no otter zone, allowing sea otters free range expansion into their historic habitat as they move south, supporting the creation and implementation of marine protected areas in sea otter range, and working to address how climate change will affect sea otters, as well as thinking about how sea otters can help us adapt to changing seas.

Sea otters were originally listed as threatened due to their small, concentrated population, and their susceptibility to the risk of an oil spill, which could wipe out the entire population. The Otter Project works tirelessly to prevent a catastrophic oil spill by opposing offshore oil drilling, monitoring shipping safety, and addressing emerging issues in oil spill response. Today, in addition to oil, threats to sea otters include disease and contamination from poor water quality, interactions with fisheries and climate change.

In 2007, The Otter Project expanded its water quality program and launched the Monterey Coastkeeper, a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance and the California Coastkeeper Alliance. Monterey Coastkeeper's mission is to protect the waters, watersheds, and coastal oceans of the Monterey Bay Region by addressing stormwater runoff, agricultural pollution and supporting marine protected area implementation. Water quality has a direct nexus to the health of the sea otters, who suffer from exposure to urban, industrial and agricultural chemicals.

The laws and regulations enacted by policy makers can help or hinder sea otter recovery. By leveraging the support of our members and the public for sea otters, The Otter Project advocates for better public policy that is reflective of the environmental values of the community. We comment on legislation at a state and federal level and are a driving force behind the Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act. The Otter Project also represents sea otters and their environment at public meetings and hearings.