Results of Transect Observations of Marine Mammals in the Tatar Strait and During Passages within Adjacent Water Areas in the Fall of 2018

A vessel-based survey of marine mammals was carried out at transects in the southern part of the Tatar Strait and during passages within the Sea of Japan and the La Perouse Strait in October 2018. Such surveys had not been previously conducted in these areas during the fall. A total of five species of cetaceans (including the Dall’s porpoise, harbour porpoise, common dolphin, killer whale, and minke whale) and two species of pinnipeds (the Steller sea lion and northern fur seal) were sighted. The study showed a low occurrence of marine mammals in the area during the fall season.