Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 20 / Trend T.Jafarov /
A satellite will monitor Caspian seals, whose special collars have been installed with cameras. The projects will be launched in three to four months, the Head of the Iranian Ecology and Natural Resources Protection Department's Office for Sea Ecosystem Department Umid Sadiq was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Caspian seals are included in the list of endangered species, so the department is focused on ensuring their security, Sadiq said.
"It will be possible to observe their movements and obtain relevant information through the cameras installed in their collars," he said.
The operation term of the collars will be set in advance. "After a given period, the collars will unlock and float to the surface of the water," he added.
Roughly $8,000 will be spent on these collars, as well as on studies and observations through the satellite, Sadiq said.
He said that if there had been more than one million Caspian seals 15 to 20 years ago, the figure now is 100,000 in the Iranian sector of the Caspian Sea.
Since 2000, Caspian seals are included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.