Enda Kenny
Question:311 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the approximate otter population based on monitoring and sightings; and the locations of this population. [4248/99]
Written Answers. - Otter Conservation.
The last nationally relevant survey on otters was undertaken in 1989-92 by Lunnon and Reynolds of Dublin University but included no estimate of the national otter population. This is largely due to the difficulty in determining otter density because of the variety of their habitat and the lack of correlation between spraints, the principal method of determining otter presence, and their numbers. However, otter density is estimated to vary from circa. 1 per 1KM of coastline in parts of the west coast of Ireland to 1 per 2KM along water courses, large streams and rivers. Otters are protected under the Wildlife Act, 1976, but there is no specific national monitoring or sighting survey in place. Otters are widespread throughout Ireland and there are no indications of any obvious negative pressure on their current national conservation status.