A complex expedition to the White Sea was conducted between June and August as part of the White Whale studies carried out by the Marine Mammal Council in 2013 with the support of the Russian Geographical Society.

Experts using the Magellan yacht and an L-14 aircraft received data on the white whale distribution in water and coastal areas. The coast was explored to detect dead mammals and collect biological samples for genetic and toxicological research.

Field tests of the immersed satellite tag were conducted and design changes were introduced to improve the tag. The collected extensive and original material can provide the basis for a monograph on the White Sea white whale's biology, distribution, behavior, and acoustics.

The White Whale Programme is a continuation of the research work initiated by the Marine Mammal Council in 1995. The project's main objective is to study the environment and the territorial and temporal population structure of the white whale inhabiting the Russian Arctic's western sector, including the White, Barents, and Kara seas. Board Member of the Marine Mammal Council, Head of the Marine Mammals Laboratory, Chief Researcher at the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences Vsevolod Belkovich runs the project.

Photo: Vsevolod Belkovich, Marine Mammal Council