In 2022-2023, the Lake Baikal Foundation supported an important project to monitor the abundance and study the population status of Lake Baikal endemic and its only mammal, the Baikal seal, in the Ushkanyi Islands archipelago.
The project was presented by the staff of the A.N. Severtsov Institute for Problems of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Zapovednoe Podlemorye» within the framework of the grant Program on conservation of rare, endangered and endemic species of the Baikal natural territory.
Field work on the study of seals was conducted on the Ushkan Islands, one of the main habitats of the species. An ecological trail for observation of animals was built on the islands, which made the problem of anthropogenic impact on the animals especially urgent.
During the research, the scientists presented the following results:
- A field expedition took place in July-August 2022. During 22 days of the expedition 55 surveys of seals were conducted on the islands of Tonky, Bolshoy Ushkaniy, Dolgiy and Kruglyy. The surveys were conducted visually, from a boat, and using a quadrocopter;
- Materials from 8 camera traps (4.5 thousand photos), which worked in April-August 2022 on Tonky Island, were obtained and analyzed;
- 4 new camera traps were installed – 2 camera traps on Dolgiy Island, 2 camera traps on Krugly Island;
- For the first time the impact of tourist activities on seal behavior was analyzed. 157 videos of at least 10 minutes duration were made to assess the impact of tourists on the behavior of seals at the seal den;
- Biological material from 6 dead animals was collected for further hormonal and genetic studies. Based on the results obtained, two papers on seal counts and the influence of tourists on their behavior were abstracted for the scientific conference “Marine Research and Education – MARESEDU 2023” (October 23-27, 2023).
Key scientific findings of the project:
- The available information on the number of Baikal seals on Tonky Island was supplemented – 1248 individuals were recorded in 2022;
- It was revealed that the number of seals at the seals’ breeding grounds is significantly influenced by water level, waves, air temperature and wind direction;
- Information on the number and location of Baikal seals on Dolgiy, Krugly and Bolshoy Ushkaniy islands was supplemented;
- An analysis of the impact of tourist activity on seal behavior was carried out, which showed that the presence of tourists can negatively affect the number of seals in the haulouts and cause disturbance, especially in the presence of noisy and active tourists. This project represents an important contribution to the conservation of Baikal’s inhabitants, and the scientific data obtained will be useful for the development of measures to protect Baikal seals and their natural environment.