An order to protect the endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) is legalized.

The Saimaa ringed seal is a subspecies of the ringed seal or an independent species. It is among the most endangered seals in the world, having a total population of only about 500 individuals. The only existing population of these seals is found in Lake Saimaa, Finland. It has lived in complete isolation from other ringed seal populations for around 9,500 years, and have diverged into a morphologically and ecologically different species or subspecies. The population is descended from ringed seals that were separated from the rest when the land rose after the last ice age. This seal, along with the Baikal seal, the Ladoga seal, and the Ungava seal, is one of the few living freshwater seals.

March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 302 days remain until the end of the year.