Chukotka whales need protection and further study
Cetacean researchers have spent their fifth field season in the Beringia National Park. Traditionally, they monitor humpbacks, killer whales and gray whales in the Senyavin Strait. And last year, a fundamentally new study was launched, the task of which is to assess the behavioral reaction of animals to underwater noise. With the help of an underwater speaker, specialists play the noise and try to understand at what distance the whale begins to actively respond to it. This year, the volume of noises was significantly increased, and accordingly, the reactions of the whales were more pronounced - after the start of the experiment, many animals moved away from the boat, although before that they had been feeding in one place for a long time.
One of such protective measures could be the creation of the Sirenikovsky reserve along the southeastern coast of Chukotka. The results of the monitoring carried out during the expedition prove that it is an important feeding area for various species of whales (humpback whales, gray whales, minke whales, killer whales), and the creation of a sanctuary can be an important step in protecting whales from anthropogenic influences.