Dagestan State University together with the Compass Foundation will conduct a summer expedition to count seals in the Caspian Sea, study the causes of their deaths and preserve these rare animals.

A group of scientists has traveled from the territory of Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve to the main rookeries on the islands of Maly Zhemchuzhny and Chechen, as well as feeding grounds in the waters of the central and northern Caspian Sea. The scientists will conduct natural population studies, sampling of biomaterials and habitat components to identify negative factors affecting the population.

The Caspian seal is the only mammal of the Caspian Sea. In 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature assigned it the status of endangered. In 2015, Dagestan adopted a program for the conservation of this species. In 2020, the Caspian seal was included in the Red Book of Russia.