Why Do Such A Thing?
There are countless reasons why a country would do such a thing. It is possible that they want to know where and how fast beluga whales are moving in the ocean. It is also possible that they wanted to know where enemy ships or submarines are.
Yes, it is also possible that the harness was used for research purposes. However, the odds of this are not great. There are a lot more and easier methods scientists can use. The harness was too big and too complex for research purposes only. The truth wasn’t so pleasant.