Saimaa ringed seal. File Photo – Lehtikuva.
A working group at the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry drew up a list of new restrictions at Lake Saimaa to protect its ringed seals, Finnish newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus reported Monday.
To save the endangered freshwater Saimaa ringed seals, the working group suggested establishing a special protection zone covering 200 hectares of the lake in southeast Finland.
The working group also proposed stricter restrictions on the construction of new holiday cottages and fishing in the Saimaa region, as human activities represent the only threat to the survival the mammals, said the newspaper.
However, the new rules will not affect the existing lakeside cottages.
The Saimaa ringed seals are believed to be under threat of imminent extinction, with about 300 seals left in the region.
