Challenge: River Otter Living in the Cockpit

[Bash]

...is actually a matter of federal law, not state law. for information, check Marine Mammal Protection Act - Office of Protected Resources - NOAA Fisheries

I know of no legislation or regulations here in California that would prohibit a boater from taking humane measures to keep marine mammals from boarding a vessel.

[Solitude]

Well I put out ammonia in a few small plastic containers with holes in the top and I put up two sensors that I send a signal to a chime. Its not a sonic signal but its quite loud and I had it at home.

There are no livaboards around so it shouldn't bother anyone for the next month until I take the tarp off. The good news is it hasn't come back since. (knock on wood)

If it does. I'll try something else.

[bene505]

That's good news. Any pictures?

Regards

[Boomp]

I like the amonia idea and have used dryer sheets to keep pest away.

[Solitude]

Sorry no pictures and its been a week or so. I have checked a couple times but so far so good. I used Ammonia in small containers and the motion sensor alarm.

I did read that otters have quite a large roaming area. Hope its not just off cruising around for a while!

I'll keep posting if anything shows up.

[paralog]

Originally Posted by Solitude

Sorry no pictures and its been a week or so. I have checked a couple times but so far so good. I used Ammonia in small containers and the motion sensor alarm.

I did read that otters have quite a large roaming area. Hope its not just off cruising around for a while!

I'll keep posting if anything shows up.

I have had two of them on my boat the last few nights. Crap on the docklines is the worse. We had them a couple of years ago, three of them would turn up every night as soon as I went to bed. Eventually i resorted to a spray that comes in a can that is used on other large furry beasts found around here. They went off the dock horizontally at about mach 2.
Eventually the marina got a nuisance animal permit, trapped them and released them in a local river.
The spray was not that effective as the came back the next night, but it did make me laugh for a while.

[S/V Alchemy]

This thread is older than my hat, but if anyone wants a tip and has power to the boat, get a radio going set to talk radio. The more rabid and right-wing, the better. Play it at conversational level just behind the dropboards. Add an LED on a 9V battery. Otters will elect to play (and poo) elsewhere.

Beats taking a leak on the coamings, although that couldn't hurt...until you have guests.

[FlyingCloud1937]

Top ten things Otters don't Like.

#1 Irish Spring Soap.

It comes in 2 sources, bar or liquid. It doesn't matter they just don't like it in any form.

I found it easy to get the liquid, mixed 50/50 in hot water, add to a spray bottle...and squirt any areas offended by otters.

In 30 years of otter management, I've never seen them come back. We'll maybe once to confirm that they don't like Irish Spring Soap.

Lloyd

[LakeSuperior]

The neighbor a couple slips down had a steel houseboat that the otters moved on. He finally resorted to setting a live trap.

We bought a stuffed animal that kind of looked like an otter and put it in the live trap on the second night. The next morning he came down to check the trapline. We could hear him laying on the dock laughing when he figured out what he caught.

[s/v Beth]

I like the Irish spring stuff. Would old spice work as well? And Rush Limbaugh on the radio? That would get rid of a lot of my dockmates as well, but I kinda like them around.

[al.dresser]

Permanent - notify MofEnvironment for a licenced trapper. Only such trappers can legally do permanent removal. Otherwise, noise makers on timers, mothballs, cayenne, electrified (shock grade not lethal) grid, motion detector tripped lights, etc. Not a lot of natural predators besides Killer Whales and they don't fit in cockpit.

[JPA Cate]

I hope the Irish Spring works!