On 19 February, the world celebrates Marine Mammal Protection Day. On this day in 1986, the commercial whaling moratorium introduced by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) came into force.

For the Khabarovsk and Kamchatka territories, this environmental holiday is especially relevant. Approximately 30 species of cetaceans and pinnipeds are protected in the Kronotsky, Komandorsky and Koryaksky nature reserves and the South Kamchatka Nature Sanctuary, half of which are listed in the Russian Red Data Book.

In the Khabarovsk Territory, eight different species of cetaceans live in the waters around the Shantar Islands: killer whales, fin whales, beluga whales, northern minke whales, North Pacific right whales, bowhead whales, humpback whales and grey whales.

Annually, experts of Russia’s leading research institutions study the abundance and status of marine mammal populations on the coasts and in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. They closely monitor rookeries of Steller sea lions, fur seals, insular seals, spotted seals and other pinnipeds, as well as seasonal gatherings of whales, including beluga whales.