Due to recent research, scientists have detected belukha aggregations in Onega Bay and the Kandalaksha Gulf near the Solovetsky Islands, but this whale has not been observed in the White Sea’s Gorlo Strait, the sea’s northern area called the Voronka, and the Dvina Bay

Previously, the research mostly aimed at assessing the belukha populations’ sizes for further industrial use. The traditional monitoring methods from ships or aircrafts were used to follow large belukha groups

In the past few years, scientists have started observations of belukhas at their population peak in the White Sea, which have become the base for developing the guidelines of the unified aerial survey methods

The new approach for aerial survey was developed on the basis of the international experience in cetacean research. According to the research, the summer belukha population in the White Sea totals from 5,500 to 7,500

In 2007 and 2008, the genetic and veterinary research of belukhas in the Sakhalin and Amur areas was performed to learn more about the animals’ kinship, as well as possible ways of inhabiting the water and the isolation of belukhas in the Sea of Okhotsk

During the International Polar Year of 2007-2008, the researchers launched the Pan-Arctic Tracking of Belukhas program

In July and August of 2009, satellite transmitters were attached to two belukha whales named Masha and Dasha on the Chkalov Island. These devices make it possible to track the animals’ movements through the Argos satellite-based system

Special radio-frequency identifications with installed data transmitters provide unique information on sea water temperature, salinity, and the direction of ocean currents

The transmitters collect data of the whales’ movements for up to 9 months, tracking their routes and providing information on the interaction among belukhas and with species from other populations in the Sea of Ohkotsk

Scientists working on the White Whale Programme place transmitters onto white whales

Scientists working on the White Whale Programme place transmitters onto white whales

Scientists working on the White Whale Programme place transmitters onto white whales

Scientists working on the White Whale Programme place transmitters onto white whales

Scientists working on the White Whale Programme place transmitters onto white whales

White whales can be identified by photograph thanks to their scars. These scar patterns, unique to each whale, are easy to see on their white back, tail and sides