Experts say snowy conditions this winter could have helped boost numbers of the endangered mammals.
A Saimaa ringed seal cub on top of the ice of lake Saimaa.
Image: Jouni Koskela
The annual count of endangered Saimaa ringed seal nests has begun. The count aims to provide an estimate of how many ringed seal pups were born over the winter.
More than 100 people, many of whom are volunteers from the Saimaa region, will take part in the process, which lasts for a few weeks.
There are thought to be around 420 Saimaa ringed seals in total living in lake Saimaa in eastern Finland. The endangered species relies on thick snow cover to build nests to protect its pups, which tend to be born in February.
NGOs seek stricter fishing rules to protect endangered Saimaa seals
Conservation groups and the University of Eastern Finland argue that proposed laws will not prevent seal pup deaths.
Last winter many Saimaa seal pups were born on the open ice, as there was insufficient snow for breeding lairs.
Image: Ismo Marttinen
New regulations have been proposed to restrict fishing in the habitat of the endangered Saimaa seals, one of the world s rarest seal species.
According to the proposal, fishing restrictions would be imposed on a larger area of the vast Saimaa lake system in eastern Finland, the only place where the species is found. The protection area would be expanded by 300 square kilometres. Net fishing, which poses a danger of entanglement for the seals, would be banned in the area from mid-April until the end of June, except for nets used to catch small whitefish known as vendace.