The Ringed Seal-People of Lake Saimaa

In the Arctic and surrounding regions, ringed seal-divers are abundant, relatively small and long-lived. They get their common name from the markings on their fur – dark spots within light gray perimeters. They can create and maintain breathing holes in the ice, giving them access to habitats other mammals cannot use. My subspecies is even more exclusive. Our range is limited to Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, with almost 15,000 kilometers of shoreline. Authorities estimate that our total population is less than 500, and a warmer climate has reduced essential ice and snow cover.

You may find us resting on a rock or small island during May or June, basking in the sun. We do that because our hair falls out more easily when it’s dry. Our whiskers, known to zoologists as vibrissae, are sensitive to sound and pressure waves in our watery environment. When it is too dark for our eyes to see, these long stiff hairs guide our swimming and diving. We can stay underwater for over 20 minutes and are immune to decompression sickness.

At least 300,000 people inhabit its many shores, and the area is a popular destination for vacationers. Our unavoidable proximity to humans caused tremendous suffering until hunting was banned in 1955. A five-year program called Safeguarding the Saimaa Ringed Seal was launched in 2013 with funding from the European Union. Researchers discovered that our journeys around the lake were more extensive than they thought and that it would be prudent to restrict residential development of the shores.

Several years ago, to address the challenge of insufficient snowfall, teams of volunteers directed by WWF and the parks department began pushing the lake snow into huge piles where ringed seal mothers-to-be usually burrow dens for giving birth. In 2017, following a similar effort, 73 of our pups were born inside the artificial snowdrifts. The pattern of circular marks around our body is unique to each of us – like human fingerprints. As the researchers become familiar with our regular routes, they plan to request bans on net fishing in those areas.