Morro Bay harbor is seeing the highest count to date of sea otters.

A survey taken last May of the Morro Bay harbor documented 36 adult sea otters and nine pups, a higher number than the typical fire or fewer otters frequenting the harbor in the early 2000s.

Over the past three years, the average count of sea otters in the California range hit 3,272. This is the first time that the index, which started in 1982, has exceeded 3,090. 

The threshold would need to be surpassed for at least three consecutive years before the species is considered for delisting.