Scientists from a number of research institutes, as well as a member of the Russian Geographical Society, attended the seminar and presented their preliminary findings on the distribution ranges and migration routes of beluga whales living in Russian waters, according to research conducted in 2009 and 2010 under the auspices of the programme. Fifteen reports were presented covering all areas of research, along with plans to publish some of the materials in scientific journals.

The audience first heard reports on the results of comprehensive research, along with a summary of the data that had been gathered and the results of whale tagging in the White Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. All in all, 18 animals were tagged over the course of two years, including five beluga whales that were tagged in the White Sea in October 2010. The maximum transmitter life is 225 days. All satellite-tracked transmitters in the White Sea and seven transmitters in the Sea of Okhotsk are still in operation.

Later, a report was delivered on the findings of aerial surveys conducted in the White Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk in 2010. For the first time ever, researchers managed to estimate the number of beluga whales – more than 2,000 - congregating in the White Sea over winter, using a comprehensive aerial survey conducted through the Beluga White Whale Programme in March 2010. The researchers found that female belugas and their calves do not leave the White Sea in the winter despite dense and vast (over 80%) ice cover. In March, beluga whales live in deep waters, whereas in the summer they range along offshore waters and the estuaries of major rivers. The aerial surveys helped complete an estimate of the number of whales living in the Sea of Okhotsk, which was projected to reach at least 6,000. It was the first time that researches have managed to map beluga whale distribution ranges for the entire offshore area of the Sea of Okhotsk in less than 20 days.

Genetic analysis has revealed that the Amur and Shantar beluga whales can be treated as a single population inhabiting the western part of the Sea of Okhotsk. Individual groups of beluga whales that congregate there in the summer remain in contact throughout the winter.

A zoological and veterinary examination of wild beluga whales is another important objective set by the Programme. Biochemical, hematological and hormone tests are performed to monitor the condition of the beluga whale population and determine the current health of belugas living in the Sea of Okhotsk. Hormone testing showed that tagging did not subject the animals to undue stress. The researchers took biochemical blood samples from Amur beluga whales congregating in the Sea of Okhotsk in the summer and gathered morphometric, immunological and hormonal data for further monitoring. The researchers found that beluga whales ranging along Kamchatka's western coast, near the village of Ust-Khairyuzovo, have antibodies against many viral infections, including human ones. The examination of dead whales that washed ashore threw new light on common causes of death, which include heart failure, heart attack, blood poisoning, and traumatic injury (possibly from collisions with boats), along with postnatal infection.

Some reports included detailed observational findings conducted from fixed stations on the western coast of Kamchatka near the village of Ust-Khairyuzovo and in the White Sea from a yacht expedition in March 2010. Zoologists noticed that when exposed to the noise of motorboats in the White Sea, beluga whales instantly left the offshore area for the high seas. At the same time, beluga whales ranging along the more densely populated areas off the Kamchatka coast seemed less disturbed by vessels.

Another line of experimental research is being conducted on the impact of man-made noise (seismic survey, shipping and other) on the health of the belugas. The research is being conducted at the Utrish marine station through the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the Black Sea coast in the Caucasus. It shows that beluga whales are seriously affected by man-made noise and sometimes even lose their hearing ability.

Researchers of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences who took part in the Arctic expedition onboard the research vessel Mikhail Somov also spoke about the distribution range and population of beluga whales along the Northern Sea Route. This unique research into the current state of the Arctic was carried out jointly with the Northern Department of the National Weather Service. The researchers conducted surveys from the ship as well as aerial surveys of the offshore area of Arctic islands from the ship-borne helicopter. During the stops, zoologists observed the behaviour of marine mammals and consulted with meteorologists who had spent the winter at weather stations, as well as border guards, seamen and pilots working north of the Arctic Circle.

The researchers involved in these projects have gathered invaluable information about Arctic marine mammals over the past ten years. According to the members of polar expeditions, many beluga whales are spotted throughout the summer, while in late summer and early autumn, large beluga whale populations start migrating from the east to the west, and later only a small number of these mammals can be observed until October. They feed heavily on Arctic cod, driving schools of fish closer to the shore in order to prey upon them.