Problems
What happened to the dolphins of the Black Sea?
Russia's military invasion of Ukraine entails, among other things, enormous damage to the environment. The impact of armed conflicts on the environment, flora, and fauna has been raised more than once in the world arena. Thus, the inhabitants of the Black Sea are paying for the actions of the Russian occupants. Marine biologists note that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in the Black Sea there have been more and more cases of dolphins dying and being thrown ashore. Reports about this come not only from Russia and Ukraine but also from Turkey, Romania, and other countries. All in all, according to reports from dolphin rescue centers, hundreds of dead animals have been found in the Black Sea and along its coasts since the beginning of the year. In some regions, these figures have already exceeded those of the whole of last year.
What are the causes of dolphin deaths in the Black Sea?
There are three species of cetaceans in the Black Sea - the bottlenose dolphin, the white-tailed dolphin, and the Azov dolphin. Before the war, dolphins were dying when caught in poaching or fishing nets in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, of which there were up to 3 thousand kilometers. Earlier it could be determined that the dolphins were killed by poaching - their fins were cut off or traces of nets were left on their bodies - but since the beginning of the war the dolphins have not been externally damaged. "Submarines approached our shore at a distance of 200 meters, launched quadcopters at night, and used sonars. Their powerful signals hit the dolphins' inner ear, they get acoustic trauma and lose their orientation", - explains Ivan Rusev, biologist and head of the scientific department of the natural park "Tuzlovskie Limans". When echolocation is impaired, dolphins have difficulty finding food. They need to eat 30 kg of fish every day. If there is no fish, the dolphin loses weight and immunity and begins to get sick. Ukrainian scientists have also found dolphins on the shore that were burned by a mine blast in the distance, because those that stumble, drown on the spot. A dolphin can only stumble on a mine when it is struck by something, a healthy animal would have bypassed it," dolphin protection experts say. Also during the de-occupation, there were powerful bombardments of the sea, the jolts of which people experienced ashore. "When a bomb falls into the sea, dolphins, as very sensitive creatures, would quickly rise to the surface of the water and get bends like scuba divers. This could lead to myocardial infarction in dolphins," adds Ivan Rusev. Mass deaths of dolphins were also observed by scientists in Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Romanian researchers found that most of the dolphins died from lesions of the inner ear. According to scientists, cases, when dolphins are found on the shore still alive, have become more frequent. That is, they are thrown ashore themselves. And it started back in March. The leading researcher of the Institute of Zoology named after Shmalghausen, doctor of biological sciences Pavel Goldina believes that at this stage it is impossible to speak about the reasons for dolphins' death. Scientists consider several possible causes. One of these is infectious diseases. Among them are those caused by microorganisms entering the sea as a result of the destruction of agricultural facilities, such as livestock farms. Acute intoxication caused by chemical compounds from munitions that have entered the sea can also be a cause of death. Dolphins can also die due to acoustic trauma. In this case, scientists believe, it is most likely the result of the actions of Russian warships and submarines. "Their radars operate on the same frequencies at which dolphins listen to their ultrasonic echolocation signals," said a hydrobiologist. Because of this, the animals can have hemorrhages, similar to a human stroke. And this can be the cause of their death. But, of course, the mass death of dolphins does not exclude the combination of several factors. If, for example, at the same time some infection is rampant, intoxications and acoustic traumas occur.
How long will it take to restore the dolphin population in the Black Sea?
After the war, a large dolphin breeding reserve is needed. Scientists believe that it is necessary to create a large marine reservation on 3000 square kilometers in the territorial waters of Ukraine near Snake Island for the protection of dolphins so that they naturally recovered their numbers. Reproduction in dolphins is a long process. After all, they give birth to offspring once or twice a year, and only one dolphin is born. And in the period of stress dolphins almost do not reproduce: an aphaline gives one calf every 2-3 years. It will take many years to restore the population under the supervision of scientists - in a protected area without poachers and ships.
Gallery
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Timelines
2023
November
The European Union’s (EU) Biodiversity Strategy aims to protect species and nature and prevent natural destruction. The EU Delegation to Türkiye together with local partners has implemented several interesting projects in this area of our cooperation. In the Black Sea, the coastal fishermen are troubled by the dolphins, and the dolphins get in trouble with fishing nets. According to the Romanian Mare Nostrum Association, 12,000 to 20,000 dolphins die annually in this way in all countries bordering the Black Sea. The EU-funded Conceta Project in the Black Sea, with the help of a small acoustic device, aimed to contribute both to the protection of dolphins and to eliminate the economic losses suffered by the fishermen. Ümit Aydın, the Project Coordinator, says: “Cetaceans communicate with sounds like humans, but the communication frequency of dolphins in the Baltic Sea is different from that of dolphins in the Black Sea. In this project, we carried out studies to adapt the acoustic devices used there to the behavioral patterns of dolphins in the Black Sea.” Within the scope of the project, 60 acoustic deterrent devices imported from Germany have been distributed to the members of Sinop Abalı Village Fisheries Cooperative where 110 fishermen are registered for observation and experimental studies. According to Prof Dr. Boris Culik from the Thünen Institute in Germany, these devices, in dolphin language, tell the dolphins to “get away from here”.
April
Only during April 2023, more than a hundred dead dolphins were registered in the bays of Sevastopol and near other shores of Crimea occupied by Russia. "We conducted a study. By examining the dead animals, it was established that there are no traces of nets or severed tails on the dolphins that were washed ashore, which is very telling when dolphins fall into poaching nets and are thrown away by poachers," says the head of the research department of the Tuzlivski National Park estuaries and doctor of ecology Ivan Rusev. "Accordingly, the actions of the barbarian navy with the use of sonar now, in the period of war, affect the dolphins and lead them to a stressful situation or death," - says the expert. But sonar radiation is not the only cause of death of marine animals. Enemy ships use artillery to "probe" the water area to detect anti-ship mines. That is why the seabed is often shelled. On the initiative of the Ministry of Ecology, many public organizations have taken up recording such crimes against nature. So that after the victory it would be possible to calculate the losses and provide them for compensation to Russia as the aggressor country. "Dolphins are highly socialized animals, and this war will affect the behavior of dolphin schools for many years. In particular, we can already say that the war leads not only to a change in their psychology but also to a change in their immigration paths and habits, as well as to the death of entire populations," - notes biologist Vladyslav Balinsky.
2022
October 27
In the Black Sea - according to rough estimates, since the beginning of the war almost 20% of dolphins have died. "Previously, the maximum number of dolphin deaths on the 44 kilometers of the park's coastline was 3 per year. From the beginning of March to the occupation of Snake Island we counted 44 dead animals only on the 6 km of coast available to us", - scientists note. "Even in the absence of complete information, we came up with a figure of 2,500 individuals found dead. And according to the U.S. National Oceanographic Agency, which studied such phenomena during NATO exercises in the oceans, no more than 5% of dolphins and whales are washed ashore. 95% of all dead dolphins drown, observers do not see them," adds Ivan Rusev. This method of calculation leads scientists to the figure of 50 thousand dolphin deaths in the Black Sea from March to the end of July 2022. This does not include animals in the Sea of Azov, for which there is no information yet.
June 24
A couple of days ago inspection of only a small part of a sandbar of the Black Sea coast in the National Nature Park "Tuzlovskie Limans" showed the presence of dead dolphins in great numbers. But, it should be noted that the large areas of the baffle remained beyond our eyes, and because of the military ban there is no possibility to examine even larger areas, where there are also probably dead dolphins", - said Ivan Rusev, biologist, and director of the Nature Park "Tuzlovskie Limans".
May 15
Dolphin Rehabilitation Center "Unsettled Sea" in Sevastopol reported in mid-May about 282 dead and 41 live dolphins that had been washed ashore since the beginning of 2022. According to the Sochi Dolphin Rescue Center "Delfa," more than 400 dead dolphins and 50 live ones have been found in five months. For the whole of the last year, the employees of the center registered about 350 such cases.
1996
October 31
On October 31, 1996, governmental organizations of Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, and Ukraine signed a "Strategic Action Plan for the Restoration and Protection of the Black Sea". The need for such a document arose due to the danger of destruction of the unique natural complexes of the water area. Then it was decided to make October 31 the International Black Sea Day. But now the Russian aggressors take care neither of people nor of nature.
