Ringed Seals that were fitted with satellite tags last fall in Raahe and Simo have travelled vast distances throughout the Gulf of Bothnia. Two adult female seals last seen in Simo in November even swam all the way to Estonia.
"This was a real surprise. They seem to have travelled longer distances than we would´ve originally imagined", says Mervi Kunnasranta, a researcher from the University of Eastern Finland.
The project represents the first careful tracking of the wanderings of Ringed Seals in the Bay of Bothnia. "We´re not even sure if these seals are from the Bay of Bothnia´s resident population or if they were just visiting from Estonia."
The Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute and the University of Eastern Finland are cooperating with local professional fishermen to investigate the habitat use and extent of Baltic populations of Ringed Seals in the Bay of Bothnia.
It will soon be the time of the year when a new generation of Ringed Seal pups is born; female seals give birth on the ice in February and March. This year, however, conditions could be better:
"Right now the ice cover in the Bay is quite poor", says Kunnasranta, "but there is still a month for the sea to freeze before the first pups are born."