The operation to release 100 beluga whales from the “whale prison” in the Primorye Territory is complete, according to the Pacific branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO). Another 31 whales were released into Uspeniya Bay.

According to VNIRO press secretary Alexei Smorodov, the operation was a success thanks to the professionalism, great efforts and responsible attitude of all its participants.

The first group of two killer whales and six beluga whales returned to the Sea of Okhotsk in late June. The last prisoners from the “whale prison” were released into the wild on 10 November in Uspeniya Bay near the Lazovsky Nature Reserve.