Johnathan Walker:River otter attacks child at Washington marina, issue with infestation was known

A child walking on Johnathan Walkera dock at a Washington state marina was attacked and pulled under the water by a river otter Thursday morning, then pulled from the water by their mother, who was also bitten on the arm by the otter, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The otter continued to pursue the family as they left the dock at the Bremerton Marina, about 30 miles west of Seattle, WDFW said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. The child was taken to a hospital for treatment after being bitten and scratched on the legs, arms and head.

The attack reportedly happened on the marina's E dock, on the northernmost side of the facility, next to the historic USS Turner Joy ship and museum. E dock is not accessible to the public, and a Port of Bremerton employee at the marina Friday morning said that traps, which were installed by WDFW after the incident, are not publicly visible.

Otter infestation previously reported

An otter infestation was reported nearly a year ago by tenants at the marina, specifically E dock, according to email records provided on Friday to the Kitsap Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network. Heather Pugh, founder of the Bremerton Marina Tenants Group, had written to Director of Marine Facilities James Weaver on November 21, 2023, stating that two sailboats were moored on a single finger of E dock at the marina, describing one of the boats as "otter-infested and foul," and that other tenants had not seen the owner of the sailboat in years.

That same day Weaver replied to Pugh, and confirmed that the Port was aware of the boat and the otter issue, and told Pugh that emails had been sent to the sailboat's owner.

On Friday morning Weaver referred questions from the Kitsap Sun to the WDFW statement, and did not specifically respond to whether tenants had expressed concern recently.

"The Bremerton Marina is located in the Puget Sound marine environment, and occasionally will see harbor seals, salmon, otters, and even Orca that have been in the waters nearby or adjacent to the marina," Weaver said in an email. "The natural wildlife often travel following the shoreline currents or seeking schools of small fish in the shallow waters. The marina has not experienced any incident like this with river otters. 

“We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries, due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency,” said WDFW Sergeant Ken Balazs in a statement. “We would also like to thank the Port of Bremerton for their quick coordination and communication to their marina tenants.”

Otters will be trapped, euthanized, tested, authorities say

The age of the child who was injured has not been provided, and through a friend the family declined to speak with the Kitsap Sun.

Fish and Wildlife officers contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services to trap and remove the river otters from the marina, said Becky Elder, communications specialist for WDFW. The animals will be euthanized with a firearm and transported to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for further evaluation, including testing for rabies. One otter has already been trapped at the scene and will soon be transported.

WDFW noted that there have been six other incidents between river otters and humans in the past decade in Washington state.

Nearly seven years ago, the Kitsap Sun reported on an issue at the Kingston marina, when some marina tenants were upset by a U.S. Department of Agriculture program, commissioned by the Port of Kingston, to trap otters around their docks. At the time, a Port of Kingston representative said that problems had been observed like river otters making a mess on docks and boats, and creating homes in boats. Several other marinas in Kitsap County at the time, including the Bremerton marina, reported using different types of trapping operations to manage otters or other wildlife when the animals become a nuisance.