Population of endangered Steller sea lions increases in Russia's Far East

MOSCOW, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Kronotsky state nature biosphere reserve said Thursday that automated camera systems in the reserve and South Kamchatka Sanctuary have documented positive population trends among red-listed pinniped species.

Vladimir Burkanov, a member of the Russian Marine Mammal Council, said that the analysis of tens of thousands of images captured between July 2023 and September 2024 revealed a rising birth rate among Steller sea lions, a species endemic to the North Pacific.

Steller sea lions are classified as "Endangered (EN A1b)" in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, indicating a high risk of near-future extinction, and listed in Category II of Russia's Red Data Book.

"At Kozlov Rock, the sole breeding site for Steller sea lions along Kamchatka's coast, roughly 100 pups have been born annually over the past five years," said the reserve in Telegram, calling the trend "encouraging."

"This compares to 80 to 100 births per year in the previous decade," it added.

The total Steller sea lion population at Kozlov Rock is estimated at around 400. ■