Cotter returns to the Westerwald after 37 years!

Cotter returns to the Westerwald after 37 years!

On January 19, 2025, a significant discovery was made in the Westerwald, Rhineland-Palatinate: after 37 years the otter was spotted again. The skillful hunter, who eats from fish, crabs and frogs, celebrated a comeback in the region. A otter consumes about 15 percent of his body weight every day, making him an effective robber in the waters.

In the past, the otter had been strongly shot down by Menschen, both because of his coveted fur and due to concerns that he could act as a competition for fishing. But thanks to extensive nature conservation measures, the stock of otter in Germany is recovering, as the “Otterland Rhineland-Palatinate” project shows, which has contributed to the identification of the proven otter. Specifically trained species detection dogs from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research were used here to identify the animal's feces. But where exactly this feces was found remains a secret.

success in nature conservation

The Rhineland-Palatinate Environment Minister Katrin Eder sees the proof of animals as great success. "This is an indication of the water quality in Rhineland-Palatinate," says Eder. Most recently, a otter at the Nahe was sighted in 2016, and this new find could mark the return of the elegant predator to the region. As part of the "Germany again Otterland" joint project, which was launched in early 2024, the otter populations in Germany are to be further funded.

This project is financially supported by both the Federal Office for Nature Conservation and the Federal Environment Ministry and provides to identify and implement measures to reduce risk and impairments. The aim is to promote the re-spreading of the otter in Germany in the southwestern direction and to improve the state of preservation of the otter populations through the reproduction of water landscapes.

criticism in Baden-Württemberg

Despite these positive developments, there are also critical voices for the return of the otter. In Baden-Württemberg there are concerns that the otter population could multiply too quickly and could thus threaten the fishing industry. In exceptional cases, the FDP parliamentary group calls for a shooting down of the animals, but this is currently not planned by the Baden-Württemberg Environment Ministry.

in Rhineland-Palatinate there are currently no more fisheries, but an immigration of these species is still considered likely. The project therefore aims to accompany the future immigration, to raise awareness of the otter and reduce hiking barriers in the long term.

The discussion about the otter population also refers to a broader problem: the biodiversity crisis, which has been addressed intensively in specialist circles in recent years. A report by the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences from 2020 emphasizes that the role of fishing and aquaculture has to be critically highlighted when the biodiversity decline. Optimizations in fishing management and the promotion of sustainable aquacultures are therefore on the agenda to gently use the resources and to secure the worldwide food supply.

Overall, the return of the otter in the Westerwald shows the complex interplay of nature conservation and the interests of agriculture, while some are happy about the return of the predator, others fear the effects on traditional fishing.