WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public IUCN compilation on cruises/expeditions to Piltun and elsewhere in the , as well as Kamchatka coast

v. November 2019 (updated)

Cruises/expeditions in the Sea of Okhotsk, which include Piltun

Expedition/ cruise – Sea of Okhotsk with National Geographic

Company name National Geographic This cruise is also advertised by PONANT, a luxury cruise company

Headquarters location National Geographic Expeditions 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 Has visited Piltun (yes or no, Planned in 2020-2021 with year if possible) Includes Piltun on tour Yes, Piltun to be visited on 5th day of the 2020 cruise, and on the 13th day of itineraries (yes or no, with the 2021 cruise dates if possible) Itinerary Korskov – Tulenyi - Nabilskiy Bay - Piltun Bay - Iony Island - Okhotsk - Magadan and Zavyalov Island - Krutogorova River - Atlasovo - Antsiferov Island and Ostrova Ptichi’I - Oblast – Kambalnaya Bay - Vestnik Bay - Petropavlovsk-Kamtchatski

Future tour dates: • Cruise 1: 26 June 2020 (for 15 days) • Cruise 2: 4 – 18 October 2021

Comments The trip includes a 1-day visit of Piltun Bay using Zodiac inflatable boats searching mainly for “highly endangered western gray whales, and various sea birds.

Website address • 2020-2021 tour overview: https://www.natgeoexpeditions.com.au/expeditions/ocean- cruise-expeditions/the-sea-of-okhotsk • 2020 tour: https://en.ponant.com/cruises/asia-the-sea-of- okhotsk-with-national-geographic-s260620-op0265-2 • 2021 tour: https://en.ponant.com/cruises/the-arctic-the-sea- of-okhotsk-with-national-geographic-s041021-po024-2

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WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public

Expedition/ cruise Sea of Okhotsk – Seals, Seabirds, and a Legacy of Sorrow

Company name Heritage Expeditions

Headquarters location Heritage Expeditions New Zealand Ltd 53B Montreal Street Christchurch, 8023, New Zealand

Has visited Piltun (yes or no, Yes, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2020; no information regarding previous with year if possible) expeditions in 2018-2019 on the website.

Includes Piltun on tour Yes, Piltun visited on the 3rd day itineraries (yes or no, with dates if possible) Itinerary Sakhalin Island, Port of - Tyuleniy Island - Piltun Bay, Sakhalin Island - Iony Island - Shantar Archipelago - Mal’minskie Islands – Okhotsk town – Talan Island – Koni Peninsula - Yamskiye Islands - Magadan

Future tour dates: • 9-20 June 2020

Comments The trip includes a 1-day visit of Piltun Bay, using Zodiac inflatable boats searching for gray whales. Website • Tour overview: https://www.heritage- addresses expeditions.com/destinations/russian-far-east-travel-travel/okhotsk- cruise/ • Brochure of the tour overview: https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/media/HeritageExpeditionsBrochure2019- 20.pdf#page=20

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WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public

Expedition/ cruise Russian Far East – Otaru to Otaru

Company name Silversea Cruises This cruise is also offered/advertised by other companies such as Wilderness Travel Headquarters location Gildo Pastor Center, 7, Rue du Gabian, 98000 Monaco

Has visited Piltun (yes or no, Yes, appears each time at least from 2014, based on earlier IUCN with year if possible) compilations and was also observed in September 2017 by Western Gray Whale Joint Monitoring Programme teams

Includes Piltun on tour Yes, on the 5th day itineraries (yes or no, with dates if possible) Itinerary Korsakov - Tyuleniy Island- Piltun Lagoon - Iony Island – Okhotsk - Yeirineyskaya Bay – Ushki – Talan Island – Zavyalov Island – Opala River – Utashud Island – Kekurnyy Point – Island – Atlasova Island – Nemo, Island – Krenitsyna Point – Yankisha Island – Chirpoy Island

Recent or future tour dates: • 18 June 2020 • No information at this point about any past cruises in 2018-2019

Comments The trip includes a 1-day visit of Piltun Bay searching for western gray whales, with the below photo included on its itinerary advertisement (see website link below, unclear photo credits)

whales

Website address • Tour overview: https://www.silversea.com/destinations/russian-far- east-cruise/otaru-to-otaru-e1200618018.html#lb-detatils

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WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public

Cruise to the Sea of Okhotsk

Company name Baikal Nature Despite the word Baikal in its name, this tour operator specializes in the whole Russian nature and organizes trips to Altai, Kamchatka, Karelia, Sakhalin, Caucasus, Chukotka, Yakutia, Nenets Autonomus Okrug, Kola Peninsula, Arctic.

Headquarters location Irkutsk, 119А Dekabrskikh Sobytiy Str., office 13

Has visited Piltun (yes or no, Planned in 2020 with year if possible) Includes Piltun on tour Yes, Piltun will be visited on the 3rd day of the 2020 tour itineraries (yes or no, with dates if possible) Itinerary Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk –Tyuleniy Island – Piltun Bay – Iony Island – Shantar Achipelago –Malminksie Islands and Fiodorovsky Bay – Sea of Okhotsk – Magadan – Koni Peninsula – Yamskiye Islands

Recent or future tour dates: • 9-20 June 2020

Comments The trip includes a 1-day visit of Piltun Bay searching for western gray whales.

Website address • Tour overview: http://www.baikalnature.com/tours/194

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WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public Cruises/expeditions off Kamchatka coast, which advertised a possibility or observed gray whales during the trip

Jewel of the Russian Far East: Kamchatka coast

Company name Heritage Expeditions Headquarters location Heritage Expeditions New Zealand Ltd 53B Montreal Street Christchurch, 8023, New Zealand Has visited Piltun (yes or no, No with year if possible) Includes Piltun on tour No (but observed gray whales in Kamchatka) itineraries (yes or no, with dates if possible) Itinerary Nome - Anadyr - Egvekinot -Bukhta Gavrilla -Pika River and Meinypil’gyno - Bukhta Natalii -Tintikun Lagoon - Koryakskiy Reserve and Verhoturova Island - Karaginskiy Island - Commander Islands - Olga Bay - Zhupanova River and Bukhta Bechevinskaya- Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

Recent or future tour dates:

• 3-15 September 2018 • 19 - 31 August 2019 • 31 August 2020 – 12 September 2020

Comments Even though the cruise does not visit Piltun, during the voyage between 3- 15 September 2018 gray whales were spotted on two different days. Other whale species spotted include Orca, Beluga, Sei, Minke and Humpback whales.

The trip on 19 - 31 August 2019 included sightings of at least 30 feeding gray whales just to the north of the mouth of the Pika River. Tourists used Zodiacs for a closer examination (see picture below from the trip report). The report also states other whale species were spotted: Orca, Beluga, Minke and Humpback whales.

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WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public

Website address • Tour overview: https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/destinations/russian-far-east-travel/kamchatka-siberia- cruise/ • Tour overview: https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/media/HeritageExpeditionsBrochure2019- 20.pdf#page=18 • 2019 tour report (including on encounter with gray whales and a gray whale fluke photo): https://www.heritage-expeditions.com/trip- reports/231/ • List of species observed during 2019 tour :https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/blog/species-list-jewel-russian-far-east-1934/ • List of species observed during 2018 tour: https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/media/news_downloads/Species_List_Jewel_of_the_R ussian_Far_East_1833.pdf

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WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public

Expedition/ cruise – Siberia’s Forgotten Coast

Company name Heritage Expeditions Headquarters location Heritage Expeditions New Zealand Ltd 53B Montreal Street Christchurch, 8023, New Zealand

Has visited Piltun (yes or no, No (but observed gray whales off Kamchatka) with year if possible) Includes Piltun on tour No itineraries (yes or no, with dates if possible) Itinerary Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy – Zhupanova River – Commander Islands – Karaginskiy Island – Verkhoturova Island and Govena Peninsula – Koryak and Chukotka Coast – Meinypil’gyno – Cape Navarin and Keyngypilgyn Lagoon – Port of Anadyr

Recent or future tour dates: • 26 June - 9 July 2018 • 25 June – 8 July 2019 • 23 June – 6 July 2020

Comments Even though this cruise does not pass by Piltun, the company mentions a possibility to see gray whales who “congregate” in Cape Navarin on Day 13.

During 26 June - 9 July 2018 trip, between 26 and 36 gray whales were spotted over a period of three days. Other whale species spotted include orca, minke and humpback whales.

During the 25 June – 8 July 2019 trip, between 17 to 22 gray whales were seen over a period of four days. Other whale species spotted include orca, beluga, sperm and humpback whales.

Website address • Tour overview: https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/media/HeritageExpeditionsBrochure2019- 20.pdf#page=12 • List of species observed during 2018 trip: https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/media/news_downloads/Species_and_Plan t_List_Siberias_Forgotten_Coast_1823.pdf • List of species observed during 2019 trip: https://www.heritage- expeditions.com/media/news_downloads/Species_List_Siber ias_Forgotten_Coast_1924.pdf

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WESTERN GRAY WHALE ADVISORY PANEL WGWAP-20/34 (updated) 20th meeting 6-8 November 2019 Public Annex

Below is an inside cover and the introduction page of the Heritage Expeditions 2019-2020 brochure, which feature a gray whale encounter from Zodiac at Beringia National Park, located in Chukotka, the Bering Strait (photo by S. Blanc)

https://www.heritage-expeditions.com/media/HeritageExpeditionsBrochure2019-20.pdf

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