A comprehensive expedition to study Atlantic walrus habitats in the southeastern sector of the Barents Sea has set out from Naryan-Mar, the capital of Russia's Nenets Autonomous Area, the Arctic-Info agency reports.

Expedition members will travel from the delta of the Pechora River to Vaigach Island. There are plans to tag at least 10 walruses with satellite transponders and to obtain data from camera traps that were installed last year.

The expedition is sponsored by the Council for Marine Mammals.

"We have been tagging walruses with satellite transponders for the third season already. Our efforts already show that walruses are actively settling in an area between Novaya Zemlya, Vaigach Island and islands of the Nenets State Nature Reserve. We should pay attention to this while developing the region. First of all, this concerns hydrocarbon prospecting, production and transportation," said expedition member Varvara Semyonova, projects coordinator at the Council for Marine Mammals.

The project that was launched by the Council for Marine Mammals several years ago aims to continue the study of Atlantic walruses in the southern sector of the Barents Sea. In 2014, experts managed to tag 10 animals.