Page 46 - Green knowledge 2023

Transnational efforts to save Caspian seals
Pollution, illegal hunting, global warming and disease pose a serious threat to the Caspian seal. NIBIO’s genetic experts have teamed up with the Caspian Seal Research and Rehabilitation Center (CSRRC) in Kazakhstan to help save this endangered species.
The Caspian seal exists solely in the Caspian Sea, the world’s largest inland sea located between Europe and Asia. For centuries, it has been hunted, and since the beginning of the 20th century, the popula- tion has declined from around one million individu- als to just over 70,000.
In 2018, the Caspian seal was red-listed. Neverthe- less, illegal hunting persists. The seal’s existence is also jeopardised by oil spills, pollution, disease, and climate change.
Geneticist Dr Tommi Nyman has worked with the Saimaa ringed seal found only in the Finnish lake Saimaa. His studies indicate low genetic variation in the Saimaa seal population, suggesting a high degree of inbreeding.
Now, he aims to determine whether inbreeding poses a threat to the Caspian seal.
“Genetic variation is crucial for the survival of endangered species. A declining population com-
bined with increased isolation can lead to reduced adaptability,” he says.
Dr Nyman conducts genetic analyses on seal parasites, namely lice, which are transmitted between seals through close contact. If louse pairs found on seal individuals have a similar genetic makeup, it implies that the lice and their hosts likely mate exclusively within their subpopulations.
Aselle Tasmagambetova, founder of CSRRC, states that NIBIO’s analyses on seal parasites can provide valuable information about the Caspian seal’s origin, health, and life cycle.
“Currently, there are few unified regulations in the countries around the Caspian Sea to protect the Caspian seal. Research can lay the foundation for common guidelines and actions to ensure the seal population survives and eventually increases in size,” she says.
Photo: Tommi Nyman
Purpose:
Collaboration: Contact:
Genetic analyses of endangered seal species and their parasites to uncover the level of inbreeding and movement patterns.
Rare Pinniped Conservation Network (RAPCON)
Research Scientist Tommi Nyman. Email: tommi.nyman@nibio.no, phone: (+47) 902 84 254. Division of Environment and Natural Resources
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