Otter in coastal areas - Carcasses

Since 1971 private persons, authorities and companies can send in otter carcasses to NINA who since then has an extended database and sample collection (e.g. muscle tissue, liver, kidney, heart samples). We collaborate with Artsdatabanken and Naturdata AS for exchange of other observations on dead otters (e.g. traffic kills, permission issued and legally shot, in fishnets drowned) to get a reliable and holistic overview of changes in population demographic parameters and population distribution over the years. The data is used for calculations of the national otter density index, updating the Norwegian Nature Index (otter as indicator species for fresh water ecosystems and for coastal ecosystems) and used in reporting to the Bern convention.