There are plans to convert one of the bays on Russky Island into a centre for keeping large marine animals. This decision was taken following a meeting held by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev.

The meeting participants determined the future of the marine mammals, including beluga whales that are kept in Srednyaya Bay in Primorye.

The deputy prime minister’s press service said that an action plan would be developed following the meeting. The plan will set out rehabilitation measures for the marine mammals, which will be released into their natural habitat, as long as doing so would not put their lives in danger. The animals will be microchipped for the purposes of monitoring and tracking.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources and the Federal Agency for Fishery will organise and oversee the interaction of all interested parties and organisations, including companies keeping beluga whales and killer whales, for the possible relocation of the animals to one of the bays on Russky Island. The administration of the Primorye Territory will coordinate these efforts.

“All actions will be aimed at ensuring the safety and security of marine mammals. In this connection, the animals can only be moved in the warm season, after higher temperatures set in and the ice melts in the water,” Gordeyev’s press service reported.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Federal Agency for Fishery, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Investigative Committee, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Agency for State Property Management and other interested departments.