Scientists of Russia and Japan counted mammals in the sea of Okhotsk
16 September 2022

Scientists of Russia and Japan counted mammals in the sea of Okhotsk

Specialists of the VNIRO have completed the eighth Russian-Japanese expedition to record marine mammals in the southwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk.

The research was carried out within the framework of the agreements of the 38th session of the Russian-Japanese Fisheries Commission.
 
The purpose of the expedition is to obtain data on the distribution, abundance and features of behavioral reactions of marine mammals in the Sea of Okhotsk.
 
The work was carried out according to the methodology of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission.
 
Specialists have taken about 1000 photos, 10 videos, 3 individual animals have been previously identified. The photo catalog of cetaceans has also been significantly replenished, which currently includes 71 species of whales.
 
In total , 965 copies were taken into account as part of the work of scientists . marine mammals, including: white-winged porpoise (subspecies Dalli), white-winged porpoise (subspecies Truet), humpback, fin whale, Japanese smooth whale, minke whale, northern swimmer, sperm whale, killer whale, Pacific white-sided dolphin, sea lion, larga, northern fur seal.
 
During the 8 years of participation (from 2015-2022) in the framework of international cooperation in the field of monitoring of marine mammals, scientists have gained enormous scientific experience - new information on cetaceans has been obtained, which will allow assessing the role of the population in the functioning of the ecosystem of the Sea of Okhotsk, including in terms of consumption of aquatic organisms.
 
VNIRO Press Service