Research groups worked in October-November in three areas of Lake Baikal - Chivyrkuisky Bay, Northern Baikal, Selenginskoye shallow water (Proval Bay). All caught individuals were measured and weighed, and primary biological material was also collected to determine the age and study the nutrition of the seal.
Monitoring the Baikal seal population is one of the main tasks of the branch and is annually included in the plan of priority expeditions. Over the past 4 years, fisheries scientists, based on its main biological indicators, estimate the state of the population as quite favorable, the number of endemics in recent years has been at the level of 150-160 thousand specimens.
After office processing of the collected samples, specialists will calculate the number of seals and substantiate the permissible volumes of traditional harvesting by representatives of indigenous peoples.
Press service of VNIRO
