My friends and I walked a few kilometers to raise money and awareness that this species needs protection. It felt great to participate in some advocacy work in this small way to help an essential species in the area. We got a patch to show support and wear to further educate people on protecting this species.
The seal lives only in Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland. When the lake freezes over in the winter, the seals can bury themselves in the snow surrounding and on top of it. During warmer months, they spend most of their time in the lake.
The seals raise their pups in snow shelters on the side of the lake. Once adults have adapted to spending significant time in the water—they believe they spend an average of 60-80% of their lives underwater! They can hold their breath underwater for 20 minutes but usually only take five-minute dives. They feed on small fish from the lake. The fish that this seal eats include vendace, smelt, roach and perch; they do not eat oysters.
Humans are among the biggest threats to these seals. Fishing nets made of nylon have become a significant threat to this species, often killing them from suffocation because they cannot get out of the net once they get tangled in it. In recent years, people have been pushing for fishing traps instead of these nets because the traps are not large enough to trap the seals but still allow the fisherman to catch the needed fish.
Climate change threatens these seals and other species worldwide.
