Indeed, in my experience too, river otters abound in the San Juans, even on
the little islands. Friends of mine own the log cabin that belonged to the
guy (John??) who first homesteaded on John's Island. We went out there for
the first time one year, unpacked our stuff, and sat on the porch admiring
the view of the Sound. Soon a whiskery face appeared over the little bluff
above the beach, disappeared, appeared again... Finally, after several
minutes of this, the otter screwed up its courage, came over the bluff with
a salmon in its mouth, and dragged it practically up to our feet before
disappearing under the porch. The chorus of scuffles, squeaks and chomping
noises from beneath the cabin made it clear why s/he had been so
persistent. Initially leery, the squatters quickly got used to us, and we
certainly didn't mind them, though their (sub-)table manners left something
to be desired...

James West