Sixth Saimaa ringed seal found drowned in fishing gear this year

A young female Saimaa ringed seal has been found dead in a fishing net in Lake Saimaa, marking the sixth such fatality in 2026, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports.

The seal was discovered on Saturday in Pihlajavesi, near Sulkava, after becoming entangled in a legal pike-fishing net set within a restricted fishing zone. The net was located at a depth of 1.5–2 metres, according to Metsähallitus (the Finnish state forest enterprise), which oversees conservation efforts.

This year’s toll of fishing gear-related deaths matches the annual average over the past decade, but conservationists remain concerned. An early spring and rapid ice melt on Lake Saimaa have shortened the seals’ breeding season, leaving many pups unprotected and increasing mortality rates among newborns.

Metsähallitus began counting breeding lairs unusually early this year, in March, to assess population size and pup survival. The Saimaa ringed seal, one of the world’s most endangered seal species, has a remaining population of just over 500 individuals.

Tags: wildlife, conservation, finland