Caspian seal is on agenda of Russian Red Book Commission
On August 18, 2026, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation hosted a meeting of the Commission on Rare and Endangered Animals, Plants, and Fungi (Russian Red Book Commission). The meeting addressed upgrading the current category of conservation status (Priority II) for the Caspian seal in the Russian Red Book and inscribing this species on the List of Rare and Endangered objects of Animal World, Requiring Priority Measures for Restoration and Reintroduction.
Kaspika’s note
Changing the Caspian seal’s current conservation status from Priority II to Priority I in the Russian Red Book and inscribing it on the List of Rare and Endangered Objects of Animal World provides an opportunity to get significant government funding for its research and implementation activities within the framework of Conservation of Biodiversity and Development of Ecotourism Federal Project. These measures will help in saving the Caspian seal from extinction.
At the meeting, Compass Foundation for Support and Development of Environmental Initiatives presented results on the Caspian seal research, which was carried out by specialists from Dagestan State University, the Astrakhanskiy State Nature Biosphere Reserve, National Research Tomsk State University, the Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine of the Siberian Branch of RAS, the Belyi Klyk Veterinary Clinic, Scientific Expeditionary Center for Marine Mammal Research, Murmansk Marine Biological Institute of RAS, P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of RAS, and Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov.
From 2023 to 2026, 14 research expeditions were conducted in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea. The scientific team notes a catastrophically low seal density in their seasonal habitats and a complete absence on island haul-out sites in spring. For example, during the entire spring-autumn period in 2024, only five seals were recorded using camera traps on Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy Island. For comparison, according to the Astrakhanskiy State Nature Biosphere Reserve, in April 2015, there were approximately 5,200 seals hauling-out on Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy Island at the same time. (Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy Island and adjacent waters to it are the main site for these marine mammals in the Russian sector of the northern Caspian Sea between winter breeding periods – Kaspika’s note).
With the foundation’s support, regular monitoring of dead seals is conducted at model sites along the Dagestan coast. Expeditions collect biological samples to determine the age of stranded seals and conduct other analyses. According to Compass Foundation, researches indicate a high mortality rate among seals, which form the reproductive core of the population. This negatively impacts the species’ reproduction ability and may lead to further decline in its numbers. The foundation presented data obtained from monitoring the mass death of seals stranded on the Dagestan coast in late 2022. The average age of the animals was 7.7 years. (By the end of December 2022, 2,732 dead seals had been registered in Dagestan, while the estimated number along the entire coast of the republic was approximately 10,000 individuals – Kaspika’s note).
As part of the project, Compass Foundation conducts a wide information campaign, which helps to attract public attention to the Caspian seal conservation, minimise the impact of threatened factors, as well as to changes in the Caspian ecosystem and other challenges for the sustainable development of the Caspian region.
The Russian Red Book Commission recommended continuing comprehensive research on the species in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea and creating a Caspian Seal Working Group. This Working Group is to strength interaction and data exchange with all interested agencies and organisations, as well as develop and implement conservation measures. The Commission proposed discussing at the Working Group meeting the issue of inscribe the Caspian seal on List of Rare and Endangered Objects of Animal World, Requiring Priority Measures for Restoration and Reintroduction.
Source: the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Compass Foundation.
In the photo: Participants in the meeting of the Russian Red Book Commission, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, August 18, 2026. Source: Compass Foundation.