Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that the following article has just been published:
Distribution of Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the Russian Arctic Seas According to the Results of Expedition aboard RV
Mikhail Somov, September–November 2010
B. A. Solovyev, N. G. Platonov, D. M. Glazov, O. V. Shpak, and V. V. Rozhnov
Biology Bulletin, 2012, Vol. 39, No. 7, pp. 654–658. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2012
Abstract:
Data on the distribution of marine mammals, including beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas Pal
las, 1766), in the Arctic are scarce because of various causes and conditions, including the vast expanses of
the region, its poor accessibility, severe climate, long polar night, and high cost of research. Nevertheless, the
results of aerial observations during ice reconnaissance and onboard observations during sea voyages
(Kleinenberg et al., 1964; Geptner et al., 1976; Belikov, Boltunov, and Gorbunov, 2002; Belikov and Boltunov,
2002; Ezhov, 2005; Matishov and Ognetov, 2006; Biologiya i okeanografiya…, 2007; Lukin and Ognetov, 2009)
have provided a general idea of the distribution pattern of beluga whales in the Russian Arctic seas. More
detailed data concern the distribution of these whales in the White Sea, where aerial surveys of the water area
were performed previously and have been resumed in recent years (Nazarenko et al., 2008; Glazov et al.,
2010, 2011). The relevant data on the Barents, Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas are much poorer. In the
summer (icefree) period, beluga whales concentrate in coastal waters. They have been recorded most fre
quently off Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Vaygach Island, and in Czech Bay in the Barents Sea; in Bay
daratskaya Bay, Gulf of Ob, and Yenisei Gulf in the Kara Sea; off the northeastern coast of Taimyr and in estu
aries of the Anabar, Olenyok, and Lena rivers in the Laptev Sea; and in the estuaries of the Indigirka (where
the whales come from the west) and the Kolyma and Ked’ma rivers (where they come from the east) in the
East Siberian Sea. The amount of information obtained in other seasons is very limited. In autumn, mass
migration of beluga whales from the Kara Sea to the Barents Sea have been recorded in the Karskie Vorota
Strait and off Cape Zhelaniya in the north of Novaya Zemlya. In winter, almost no records of these whales
have been made in the Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas. These data are based on previous observations
and have practically not been complemented in recent years.
In this paper, we present brief results of our observations on beluga whales during the planned 90day
voyage of RV Mikhail Somov along the route from Arkhangelsk (September 6, 2010) to Wrangel Island
(October 5, 2010) and back to Arkhangelsk (December 3, 2010) (figure, table). Records of beluga whales
were made in the course of regular onboard observations and aerial surveys, and evidence of their previous
occurrence was obtained by questioning.
Contact Boris Solovyev for pdf: [email protected]
__
Boris Solovyev
White Whale Program
A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences (IPEE RAS)
+7(495) 954-15-11
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