"We do not want to restrict navigation but to make it sustainable and thought-out in terms of conservation. Changes in current shipping practices in this case can be minimal," Gorshkov said.
In areas with large whale populations, ships could be advised to slow down in order to avoid collisions, the official said. He believes it would also be in the interest of crews. Introducing the new rules would require accurate knowledge of Arctic whale populations, Gorshkov said.
"In order to understand which areas of the Arctic seas to focus on, we did a lot of research and identified the greenest areas that are important for the conservation of life in the Arctic. Now, using this data, we are engaged in a systematic dialogue with stakeholders, developing and discussing regulations that could reduce the negative impact of shipping on Arctic nature," Gorshkov said.
In mid-February, the foundation proposed assigning "vulnerable" status to the Bering Strait, parts of the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea for the safety of whales. Such status will allow the introduction of a flexible regime of navigation regulation in these waters at the international level.
The Arctic region covers the territories of the eight Arctic states, namely Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States. In 1996, these countries established the Arctic Council to address issues related to the region. WWF was admitted as an Observer to the Arctic Council in 1998.