The project “Home of the Baikal seal: integrated research of seals at the key summer breeding ground – Ushkan Islands” won the grant programme of the Lake Baikal Foundation for the conservation of rare species of the Baikal natural area.
- The project “Home of the Baikal seal: integrated research of seals at the key summer breeding ground – Ushkan Islands” won the grant programme of the Lake Baikal Foundation for the conservation of rare species of the Baikal natural area.
- The project to study and count seals was carried out by the staff of the A.N. Severtsov Institute for Problems of Ecology and Evolution (IPEE RAS) in cooperation with the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Zapovednoe Podlemorye”. A.N. Severtsov Institute for Problems of Ecology and Evolution (IPEE RAS) in co-operation with the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Zapovednoe Podlemorye”. The ‘Lake Baikal’ Foundation transferred the necessary funds for its implementation – the grant fund of the project totalled 500,000 rubles. The project was implemented from June 2022 to June 2023, and field work was carried out on the Ushkan Islands from 24 July to 15 August 2022.
- The Ushkan Islands are one of the main habitats of the Baikal seal. In summer and autumn rookeries are formed on the islands, where the number of seals can reach several thousand. These are the largest gatherings of seals on Baikal.
Despite the importance of the site for seals, the exact number of animals was not determined and the extent to which individual factors (including anthropogenic factors) influenced seal numbers and behaviour was not known. With the emergence of regular tourism and the establishment of Baikal seal observation sites on the Ushkan Islands, the problem of anthropogenic influence has become even more urgent.
Project Goal:
Monitoring of the number and condition of the Baikal seal population in the Ushkanyi Island archipelago of Lake Baikal in summer.
What has been done in the project:
- 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 operated in April-August 2022 on Tonky Island, were obtained and analysed;
- Four new camera traps were installed – 2 camera traps on Dolgiy Island and 2 camera traps on Krugliy Island;
- For the first time, the impact of tourist activity on seal behaviour was analysed. A total of 157 videos of at least 10 minutes duration were made to assess the impact of tourists on seal behaviour at the seal den;
- Biological material from 6 fallen animals was collected for further hormonal and genetic studies;
- Based on the results, two papers on seal counts and the influence of tourists on their behaviour were abstracted for the scientific conference ‘Marine Research and Education – MARESEDU 2023’ (23-27 October 2023).
The main scientific findings of the project are:
- The available information on the number of Baikal seals on Tonky Island was supplemented – 1,248 individuals were recorded in 2022;
- Water level, wave action, air temperature and wind direction were found to have a significant effect on seal abundance at haulouts;
- Information on the number and location of Baikal seals on Dolgiy, Krugly and Bolshoy Ushkaniy islands was supplemented;
- The presence of tourists was found to have a negative effect on the number of seals at the haul-out, sometimes causing the animals to become frightened and subsequently fledging into the water. Disturbed behaviour of seals was recorded more frequently when tourists were present at the observation platform compared to when no tourists were present. In the presence of large tourist groups, the number of seals at the haul-out was lower, but this factor did not increase the number of anxious seals. Mass seal movements were more common in the presence of noisy, active tourists, but increased concern and reduced numbers of seals in parts of the seal den were also recorded in quiet groups of tourists.
The project was realised with the support of the World Around You Foundation of Siberian Wellness, the Need Help Foundation and the public school Horoshkola.