Summer Expedition to Research Caspian Seals

On July 28, 2024, a Russian expedition went to the Caspian Sea. It was organized as part of Program for Monitoring the Caspian Seal Population Status and Developing Effective Measures for its Conservation. Specialists from the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development at Dagestan State University, the Research Institute of Virology of the Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, and the Astrakhanskiy State Nature Biosphere Reserve are taking part in the research.

The expedition will set off to Maly Zhemchuzhnyy and Chechen islands, and other areas in the Northern and Middle Caspian. Scientists are going to install camera traps for registering seals on Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy, conduct monitoring of the Dagestan coast, collect biological samples from dead animals and a number of samples to assess the safety of the Caspian seal habitat. There are plans to interview fishermen working in the Caspian Sea regarding their meetings with Caspian seals in spring and summer this year, and carry out other researches.

Samples collect during this expedition will be analysed in laboratories of the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development at DSU, the Research Institute of Virology of the Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, and in Kurchatov Genome Center.

The research is supported by and NaftaGaz Oilfield Service Company and Compass Foundation for Support and Development of Environmental Initiatives.

In the photo above: Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy Island, the Caspian Sea, Russia. Author A. Gadzhiev, Ph.D. in Biology, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Innovation Work, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia.
Source: Compass Foundation for Support and Development of Environmental Initiatives, NaftaGaz Oilfield Service Company.