Wyoming Returns Otter Management to Game and Fish Department

A new Wyoming law has shifted management authority over otters back to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), Local News 8 reports.

House Bill 0045, signed into law by Gov. Mark Gordon on Feb. 24, removes otters from the state’s protected species list, giving wildlife managers more flexibility in handling the species.

“Removing otters from the definition of a protected animal gives the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission authority to regulate management,” said Dan Smith, WGFD wildlife division supervisor and chief game warden. “It gives wildlife managers another tool in the toolbox when making decisions on how to mitigate conflict, build public support and tolerance, and best manage otters.”

Since 1953, otters in Wyoming have been classified as protected animals, prohibiting hunting, trapping, or any agency-led management. The protection was implemented after overharvesting, habitat loss, and environmental challenges nearly wiped out the state’s otter population. Unlike some states that introduced nonnative otter populations to boost numbers, Wyoming allowed for natural population recovery using only native genetics.

With the passage of House Bill 0045, otters are now classified as nongame animals under Commission Regulation Chapter 52. This change allows the Game and Fish Department to implement new management strategies, such as deterrence, mitigation, and relocation, to address conflicts and support healthy populations. Lethal removal will be considered only as a last resort.

Despite the change in classification, otters will not be subject to hunting or trapping seasons.

“This new legislation does not define or classify otters as furbearing animals,” Smith explained. “They will have the same protections from hunting and trapping with their nongame designation as they did when they were defined as protected animals. At this time, the population has not rebounded to a level for Wyoming to consider a regulated harvest.”

More than 80 other mammal species in Wyoming are designated as nongame animals, including the swift fox, pygmy rabbit, and black-footed ferret. The WGFD collaborates with state and federal agencies, conservation groups, and researchers to improve the management of these species.

Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce emphasized that the law’s primary purpose is to enhance conservation efforts, not to open the door for recreational trapping or hunting.

“The important thing for the public to take away from this legislation is that it will not result in an automatic hunting or trapping season for otters,” Bruce said. “What this bill will do is allow our agency to better manage the species and ultimately work toward projects that will help continue to grow a healthy population.”