The Baikal seal is the only seal in the world that has fully adapted to life in fresh water. This endemic is not only a key element of the Lake Baikal ecosystem, but also an indicator of its health. However, due to climate change, increased tourism and anthropogenic pressure, the seal population is facing new challenges.
How do scientists study these animals? Why do they use drones to count seals? What are the most serious threats to the species and how can they be minimized? Kommersant-Nauka spoke about this with Maria Solovyova, head of research on Baikal seal research programs, senior researcher at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and candidate of biological sciences.
— Why is it important to observe Baikal seals?
— The Baikal seal is a unique species of seal. It is the only species that has fully adapted to life in fresh water. The ringed seal, for example, has subspecies — the Ladoga and Saimaa seals, which are also freshwater, but this is only part of the species, not the entire species. Due to this adaptation, the seal's diet has changed, for example, because Baikal is home to completely different fish, behavior, and lifestyle.
Baikal is currently a place of intensive tourism development, and understanding how the seal is affected by the intensification of Lake Baikal use will allow us to more competently approach the conservation of this unique endemic. The Baikal seal can act as an indicator of the health of the entire ecosystem. It is a consumer of the highest order in the lake and is at the top of the reservoir's food chains. Any changes at the lower levels of the lake pyramid inevitably affect it, and the seal itself affects the underlying components.
In addition, there is such a thing as "fundamental science". Scientists are simply interested in everything. There are animals - Baikal seals. How do they behave? Why do they behave this way? Do they behave the same way throughout the year? This is an internal interest that pushes us to conduct research.
— Why do scientists use drones to count seals, rather than traditional observation methods? What are the advantages and limitations of this approach?
— We combine these methods in our work. On Tonky Island, where our camp is based and where the tourist trail to the seal haulout is located, we count them visually. But because of this, we cannot count those animals that are underwater at the time of the study. In addition, the Ushkany Islands archipelago consists of four islands, and seals haul out not only on Tonky Island. Therefore, to count animals on Tonky Island, as well as on two more islands - Dolgy and Krugly - we also use drones. It is difficult to conduct foot counts on Dolgy and Krugly Islands: the coast is not always passable, plus to conduct the counts it would be necessary to go there three times a day in a noisy boat, which would additionally frighten the hauled out seals.
— How do on foot accounts on Tonkiy Island complement the data obtained from drones? Are there possible discrepancies in the counts?
— They allow us to count animals more accurately, as well as note externally noticeable parameters: molting, scars or injuries on animals. We conduct such visual counts during field work three times a day, which allows us to also assess changes in the number of lying animals during the day in order to identify at what hours the seals prefer to rest and at what hours they prefer to swim.
There are discrepancies in the data because during visual counts we do not count seals underwater, and when counting from a drone, we sometimes have a worse view of seals on rocks: in order not to scare the animals, we have to fly at a high altitude. But combining these methods gives us results that are closer to reality.
— Why wasn't Bolshoy Ushkany Island included in the flyovers? How could this affect the overall estimate of the seal population?
— We use small drones with a flight time of up to 30 minutes in light winds and high air temperatures. Bolshoy Ushkany Island is located at a distance from the three small Ushkany Islands, and our drone's operating time is not enough for a full flyover of this island.
Yes, most likely, we are not taking into account the seals that are located near Bolshoy Ushkany Island. But, according to our observations from the vessel and information from the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Zapovednoye Podlemorye", not as many seals haul out there compared to the others.
— How do scientists assess the health of seals (injuries, molting)? What conclusions can be drawn from this data?
— We assess the presence of injuries and molting visually during foot counts. The molting fur of Baikal seals is reddish, as if faded, and it is very clearly visible against the background of molted gray animals. Injuries are also visible: most often, seals have injuries to the eyes, front flippers, and scars on the body are also common. According to our data, the proportion of both molting and injured animals on Tonky Island is small. Molting is a normal process, and for some animals it can drag on until June-July every year, there is nothing wrong with that. Injuries are also, unfortunately, a part of the seals' lives: they could have received them in fights with each other. We pay special attention to anthropogenic injuries - for example, noticeable scars from boat propellers. Fortunately, we hardly see them on the islands yet, but we need to monitor them so that their numbers do not increase.
— What long-term consequences can periodic stress surges in seals have for the population?
— If we talk about stress in the sense of "anxiety, tension in the body," then, of course, it does not pass without consequences for anyone, even for seals. But, if you dig deeper, stress occurs because of something. If a seal experiences stress from lack of food, then the consequences of such stress will also be the consequences of hunger. If stress consists of a lack of rest due to the lack of places to lie down, then there will be all the consequences of the lack of recovery of the body, including weakened immunity, improper production of hormones and enzymes, or, for example, a decrease in cognitive abilities.
— How could the early melting of ice and the mass death of seals in the past affect their stress resistance?
— Here we need to clarify: what early melting of ice are we talking about, what mass death of seals? If we mean a less cold winter, which periodically happens on Baikal, then the consequences of such a winter will be the following. Seals need ice in winter for the birth and feeding of offspring, new mating, rest and the beginning of molting. If the ice lasts less time than usual, this can lead to incomplete feeding of the cubs and a lack of rest in animals. Weak ice can break more often, which leads to separation of the mother-cub pair. Small amount of ice forces seals to huddle more, that is, to unite in dense groups. This can lead to a wide spread of various diseases - like in humans during a pandemic, remember? It was important to keep your distance.
Mass deaths of seals, which have occurred several times in the past, lead primarily to a local decline in the population.
— Why are there fewer seals on Tonky Island than on other islands, contrary to previous data? What environmental or anthropogenic factors could have led to such a redistribution?
— Most likely, there is no point in talking about a redistribution of seals. It is unlikely that there are fewer seals on Tonky Island: previously, regular observations were simply not carried out on other islands.
— What measures could reduce the disturbance of seals by tourists and shipping? Are the existing restrictions effective?
— Our observations on the islands show that the greatest disturbance to seals is caused by boats and vessels, which scare seals from their haulouts with their noise. Most often, these are people swimming by — not tourist groups that come to the archipelago in an organized manner. It is necessary to raise public awareness so that they reduce their speed and engine noise when moving near the islands.
Tourist activities on the islands are strictly controlled by the staff of the "Zapovednoye Podlemorye" and, judging by our observations, do not cause much disturbance to the seals. On Tonkiy Island, a special wall has been installed, from behind which tourists can observe the seals, remaining unnoticed by the animals.
— How do private foundations (for example, the Lake Baikal Foundation) contribute to the conservation of seals?
— In order to preserve, we need to study. In 2018, the Lake Baikal Foundation initiated the creation of a program for research on the Baikal seal and its habitat and has since been a permanent partner of the program with the support of the World Around You Foundation of the Siberian Wellness company and other private donors. In addition, the foundation carries out huge educational work with the population: in 2019, it conducted a large campaign, “Year of the Baikal Seal,” with trips to schools and the creation of an online lesson on the seal. The foundation also works with an adult audience — with its support, publications appear on the careful treatment of the animal, and this year it was possible to shoot the first popular science film in Russia about the Baikal seal, “The Seal and Man,” where we acted as invited experts—the heroes of the film. But the main thing is that the foundation attracts the missing resources for the study of the seal and does this on a regular basis.
— What other threats besides tourism can affect the Baikal seal population?
— Climate change is the most significant. As I said above, ice is critical for the Baikal seal. And in recent years, we have seen a reduction in the duration of ice cover and the degree of ice development. This was especially noticeable in the winter of 2024–2025: the winter in many regions of Russia was warm and with little snow, and on Baikal, vehicles were allowed onto the ice for a record short time. Time will tell whether such changes are local or a trend.
Water pollution also has a significant impact. The seal closes the food chains of Baikal and is a consumer of the highest order. Therefore, if pollutants enter the lake's ecosystem, they will accumulate as they move along the food chain, and the seal will accumulate the largest amount of them.
— What new technologies besides drones could improve seal monitoring?
— Currently, there are no deciphered maps of the ice cover of Lake Baikal in the public domain. Such maps exist for the Arctic and Antarctic, but they are not available for inland waters of Russia. There are satellite images, but in order to determine the characteristics of the ice, such as its type and density, we need highly specialized experts, which, unfortunately, we do not have on our team.
It would be good to put more advanced satellite transmitters on the animals that measure the depth of dives, the percentage of time that the seal spends in and above the water. But they are not yet produced in Russia.
— Why is the program designed specifically for 2020–2025? Will it be continued and what key issues will remain unresolved?
— No program should be planned for an indefinite amount of time: specific deadlines are needed by which the results obtained will be assessed and further steps adjusted. Of course, we plan to continue work on the program and formulate a new one for 2026–2031, taking into account the issues that will remain unresolved after the 2025 expedition.
— How can the data from this expedition influence environmental decisions at the state level?
— Environmental protection agencies regularly contact scientists on specific issues. For example, in 2024, when the issue of the need for industrial seal hunting arose, a joint meeting of the RAS Scientific Council on the Problems of Ecology of Biological Systems and the Scientific Council of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the Problems of Lake Baikal was held at the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where all Baikal seal experts expressed their opinion on this issue and formed a resolution recommending abandoning this idea.
In 2025, we plan to continue studying the impact of tourism on Baikal seals. The result of the research should be the development of special rules for tourists - on how to observe the Baikal seal correctly and comfortably. We intend to implement this task together with experts from the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Zapovednoye Podlemorye" with the support of the Lake Baikal Foundation.
Maria Gribova