Future of the Caspian seal
On March 24, 2026, a roundtable discussion “Future of the Caspian Seal” was held in Moscow. Representatives of Clean Seas, Lake Baikal, World Around You, Nature and Peopl, and Reserve Embassy foundations, as well as specialists from Marine Mammal Council, the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of RAS, Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), All-Russian Research Institute for Environmental Protection (VNII Ecology), the Astrakhanskiy State Nature Biosphere Reserve, State Oceanographic Institute named after N.N. Zubov (GOIN), and the Institute of Biological Research of the Dagestan Scientific Center of RAS took part in that event dedicated to the celebration of Caspian Seal Day in Russia.
The meeting included reports dedicated to: the current status of the Caspian seal; aerial surveys of its abundance on ice and island haul-outs in the northern Caspian Sea; the international cooperation for conservation of this species, and others. Participants discussed the relevance of creating a strategy on the Caspin seal for research and conservation measures. Work on this document would continue with the support of World Around You Foundation and Siberian Wellness Company.
The need to develop a strategy for conservation of Caspian seals was also discussed by participants at International Ecological Forum of Caspian States “On the Caspian Sea Wave”, which took place at Dagestan State University in Makhachkala. ‘The key elements (of the strategy – Kaspika’s note) should be: the creation of a unified population monitoring system that combines satellite data, field observations, and genetic research results; standardisation of population abundance and disease diagnostic methods; and mechanisms for rapid response to outbreaks,’ said Alimurad Gadzhiev, head of Compass Foundation research group, vice-rector for research and innovation at Dagestan State University.
Source: Lake Baikal Foundation’s digest dated on 01.04.2026.
In the photo: Participants of the roundtable “Future of the Caspian Seal”, Lake Baikal Foundation, Moscow, March 24, 2026.