While the world’s been focused on COVID-19, a piece of good news came out of Russia last month, although it went relatively unnoticed: Russia listed mammal-eating orca whales and Caspian seals as locally endangered species, following the “whale jail” fiasco that generated international outrage. This is the first time in more than 20 years that Russia has added to its endangered species list — known as the red data book of the Russian Federation (RDBRF), or simply, the “red book” — and could end the trade of Russian orcas to aquariums around the world, experts say.
It has always been illegal in Russia to capture and trade cetaceans for entertainment purposes, although they can technically be caught and used for “educational and cultural purposes,” Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist at Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), told Mongabay. This loophole is what Russian traders have historically exploited.
“This is unprecedented,” said Rose, who is also an acting member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee. “They [Russian authorities] have been very resistant … to that concept that there are ecotypes of orcas, and this goes right up to the international level.” Secondly, the new listing essentially puts a stop to the global trade of orcas captured in Russian waters. As Rose explains, the Sea of Okhotsk is the sole place in Russia where it’s logistically feasible to capture orcas, and the only orcas living in this area are the mammal-eating kind.
Source: Mongabay
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