River otters have returned to Detroit.

[Dumpling]

The Coast Guard comes for people who canoe in the Detroit River. My family learned this from personal experience. The stated reason was to keep canoers safe from the lakers. Various groups kayak and canoe in the Rouge River but bass boats are seen in the Rouge River on nice days more frequently. [I have a view from the far side of the 'dead' tree with the cormorants in it - the flock had almost fifty cormorants in it at one time but now there are just a handful of them. EDIT they all came back this afternoon, so there's still almost fifty there, but they are expected to leave soon.] [So it's less of a free country if the Coast Guard tells you not to canoe in the Detroit River. On the plus side they are said to have new improved software to track people who are drifting in the water needing to be rescued.]

I looked up a distribution map to check on where the otter may have originated. Upthread there were suggestions that Ohio obtained some and placed them in various Ohio rivers; also otters live in the Harsens Island environs; but this distribution map has interesting gaps where river otters are not found.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_...adensisMap.svg

There is a sliver of land across Michigan that doesn't have river otters in this map. Otters aren't found in Ohio but they are found in Michigan generally. The Windsor tip of the Ontario Peninsula is devoid of otters in this map. Then there is another sizable otter free sliver in New York as well. Tell me what that's about! Was it somehow polluted in that area?

https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2021...er%20pollution.

"Historically, river otter could be found throughout New York, but they declined due to unregulated hunting, habitat destruction, and water pollution."

"From 1995 through 2000, 279 river otter were captured in eastern New
York and released at 16 different sites across the western part of the state."

Effectively the otter free wedge in New York has not been repopulated with otter yet, either via otter migration or by rehoming otters.

EDIT - the otter free wedge in New York is actually in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has some otter free rivers due to acid mine drainage.

[Dumpling]

I do like that Richard pulled up Joel Thurtell in the Ms. Conyers, Esq. thread [if only to note that Mr. Thurtell found out that Ms. Conyers failed at all four tries at the Michigan Bar Exam, which IS a very difficult and nerve-wracking test - I have seen people study for it].

https://www.joelthurtell.com/

Mr. Thurtell co-wrote a book about paddling the Rouge River in 2005.

https://www.amazon.com/Up-Rouge-Padd...ks%2C67&sr=1-6

[Gistok]

I don't think too many lake otters will be paddling up from Ohio... with the high water levels, the Detroit River would be pretty challenging for any critter paddling up against the strong current going downriver...

[Dumpling]

The otter was seen on the Windsor side of the river, but if it had to originate from Lake Saint Clair or from Ohio I would guess it came from Lake Saint Clair [though if the river current is a problem it will be staying to the south hereafter and might be from Ohio eventually].

[Gistok]

The otter was seen on the Windsor side of the river, but if it had to originate from Lake Saint Clair or from Ohio I would guess it came from Lake Saint Clair [though if the river current is a problem it will be staying to the south hereafter and might be from Ohio eventually].

That's what I thought... the river current can be up to 10 knots at certain times of the year [and location along the river].

[canuck]

Beavers have returned to the Detroit River and it tributary streams and
now otters have returned. Will the coureur des bois be the next to return?

J’espère bien!

[Richard]

Do the math - $75 per pelt,get 5 per day $1800 for the week,beats making $15 per hour.

To top it off here is a good otter recipe

https://www.montanaoutdoor.com/2015/02/tantalize-your-tastebuds-with-a-river-otter-recipe/

As they say - Mother Nature always finds a way to provide.