Opening of the navigation season 2025 on Lake Baikal. Expedition on the R/V Vereshchagin on May 21-25, 2025

Written on 28 May 2025.

On May 21-25, 2025, LIN SB RAS carried out the first scientific summer expedition on R/V Vereshchagin. The purpose of the expedition is to study the dynamics of the Baikal omul population in Selenginsky shallow water using the trawl-acoustic method, assessing the number and sex-age structure of the feeding fish population under conditions of population restoration.

Specialists of LIN SB RAS and employees of the Baikal branch of VNIRO, as well as the Baikal branch of Glavrybvod took part in the expedition. Federal agency representatives noted a high level of fieldwork and well-coordinated work for hydroacoustic searching and catching of fish aggregations using a special onboard trawling.

Over 300 kilometers of Selenginsky shallow water were examined during the expedition using the standard tack system. Verification of hydroacoustic survey data was carried out based on data from six scientific trawls performed in various zones of Selenginsky shallow water using a different floating trawl at depths from 100 to 250 m. It should be mentioned that hundreds of meters of abandoned omul nets were lifted with every trawling, which surely seriously harms the ecosystem of Lake Baikal.

Field work was carried out within the State assignments of LIN SB RAS № 0279-2022-0004 “Assessment of environmental and economic aspects of the impact on Lake Baikal from existing and planned anthropogenic factors in the Baikal natural area, rational nature management, water and bio-resource potential of Lake Baikal” (led by M. Makarov) and № 0279-2021-0005 “Study of transformations in the state of water bodies and watercourses of East Siberia in seasonal and long-term aspects in terms of climate changes, geological environment and anthropogenic pressure” (led by A.P. Fedotov).

The next R/V Vereshchagin expedition, scheduled for May 28–June 11, 2025, will continue hydroacoustic research of the number and age structure of the omul population in the open Lake Baikal.