The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth. What appears in scientific diagrams as a simple temperature curve represents a profound upheaval for the animals of the North. The fate of the Pacific walrus is particularly striking. They are retreating ever farther north, to areas where the ice has not yet completely disappeared.
Recent observations by the Pacific branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute for Fisheries and Oceanography paint a compelling picture. In 2025, the focus was on the enormous walrus colony at Serdtse-Kamen in northeastern Chukotka, once a place where life gathered in overwhelming abundance.
From September 23 to October 26, 2025, researchers accompanied the animals throughout their entire seasonal activity period. What they observed was more than a simple population survey, it was a sign of change. The colony has been systematically monitored since 2009. Migration timing, age structure, natural losses, every detail is documented. Yet the numbers now tell a story that goes far beyond statistics.
Where up to 100,000 walruses once crowded the shoreline, only around 32,000 animals were counted in 2025. A sharp decline had already been recorded in 2024. Only in isolated years, such as 2012 and 2016, did the numbers temporarily drop below 40,000. Now, however, a long-term trend appears to be taking hold. The vast, densely packed colonies that shaped this coastline for decades are shrinking.
As sea ice disappears, so does their secure habitat. Walruses rely on the ice as a resting platform between extended dives in search of food. As the ice retreats farther into the Arctic Ocean, the animals must travel longer distances, gather on land, and face additional stress. Every loss of ice alters their rhythm, their migrations, and their chances of survival.
Long-term studies spanning three decades reveal profound shifts. Colonies along the east coast of Kamchatka and in southern Chukotka are declining or disappearing altogether. At the same time, new haul-out sites are emerging farther north. Formerly abandoned locations along the Arctic coast of Chukotka, such as Cape Kozhevnikov near Cape Schmidt (Ryrkaypiy) and Cape Vankarem, are being reoccupied. It is as though the walruses are following the cold.
The latest data confirm what has been apparent for years: the Pacific walrus is steadily shifting its range toward the northernmost reaches of its habitat. For scientists, this is a clear indicator of the dramatic ecological changes underway in the Arctic.
For the animals themselves, it is a quiet, relentless retreat, step by step, kilometer by kilometer, into a world that is steadily growing smaller.
Rosamaria Kubny, PolarJournal