Komsomolets Bay on the north eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, is a remote area of shallow water, with countless small inlets among extensive reed beds, sandbanks and islands. It is an extremely important environment for migratory birds, fish and the endemic Caspian seal. During April each year, tens of thousands of seals can be found there as they complete their annual moult (where they shed old hair and grow a new coat). To complete their moult efficiently, the seals need to spend most of their time hauled out on land over a period of several weeks. Komsomolets Bay is one of the few place in the whole Caspian which provides such haul out places away from disturbance by human activities.
This short film is part of a video project by our colleagues at the Institute of Hydrobiology & Ecology in Kazakhstan to develop a documentary describing the natural history of Caspian seals, research on seal ecology and the conservation threats facing them.
Goodman Ecology & Evolution Lab @Leeds 