marine mammals

Introduction. The indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North of the Russian Federation received constitutional and legal status, due to which they have special guarantees, including priority access to the resources of aquatic ecosystems. The indigenous peoples of the Russian North are allowed to catch some species of mammals, which are under a special protection status, in order to maintain their traditional way of life. Theoretical analysis. Catching and commercialization of aquatic organisms, their use as food products, medicinal products, and household items generate negative consequences for biological resources and contribute to the social degradation of the indigenous peoples of the North. Empirical analysis. The previously applied strategy of preserving the indigenous peoples of the North intensified the crisis of small ethnic groups and contributed to the illegal extraction of aquatic biological resources. Today, the state is improving the mechanism for registering indigenous peoples for the exercise of their social and economic rights, draws attention to the need to comply with the principle of combining rights and obligations in the implementation of marine animal hunting. Results. Marine animals are an integral part the life of indigenous peoples of the North: they form the basis of the protein type of nutrition, are used in ethnomedicine, and allow to express the cultural potential through artistic craft and types of traditional activities. Marine hunting depletes natural resources of aquatic ecosystems, affects the spread of zoonotic pathogens, contributes to the development of illegal trade in marine animals and (or) their parts, exacerbates the problem of climate change. Recent changes in legislation indicate that the state is revising its attitude to aquatic biological resources based on the modern development of the indigenous peoples of the North.