On Saturday, an almost nationwide ban on net fishing came into force in the so-called Saimaa lake system in south-east Finland. The measure serves to protect newborn Saimaa ringed seals, which according to the WWF “are still threatened with extinction”.
Last fall, experts estimated the population at a total of 430 to 440 animals. It is one of the rarest seal species in the world. Above all, drowning in fishing nets is the number one cause of death for newborns.
As a rule, Saimaa ringed seals are born in late February to early March, after which they stay exclusively in a shelter and are fed on mother’s milk for the first few weeks of life.
But then, when it gets warmer, you can learn to swim and dive outside the door, so to speak, which is why net fishing for the young seals is extremely dangerous, especially in the months of April up to and including June. Therefore, the current ban applies to exactly this period.
In the mid 1980s there were little more than 100 Saimaa ringed seals
Lo and behold: the population has recovered by more than five percent in each of the past few years as a result of these and other protective measures. For comparison: in the mid-1980s, the stock was little more than 100 animals.
The Saimaa ringed seals are special because they live in fresh water. And as a relic of the last ice age, if you will. Since then, the seals have been living in the closed system of Lake Saimaa, far away from the world’s oceans.
So, over time, the ringed seal had to adapt to the labyrinthine waters of the vast lake system. Their comparatively larger eyes and enlarged brain are the result of this adaptation.
In the short term, however, it is now again “fingers crossed!” that the ban on net fishing, which has lasted for several months, leads to the desired success. To a further recovery of the population, which hopefully the next counts will show. Yle.fi reported on the subject on Saturday.
