Russia's war pushes Black Sea ecosystem to brink as 22 cetaceans found dead in Odesa Oblast national park
Researchers found a record number of cetacean bodies on the Black Sea coast near the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park in Odesa Oblast in a single day: 22 animals.
Source: Ivan Rusiev, Head of the park's research department on Facebook
Details: Rusiev reported the "unprecedented deaths" of marine animals.
On 5 June, researchers inspected 25 km of the Tuzly Estuaries coastline, where they found 20 dead harbour porpoises, one bottlenose dolphin and one common dolphin. All are protected species.
Quote: "Across thousands of kilometres of sea, it is likely that thousands of them have been washed ashore. It should also be understood that a significant share of the killed animals sink into the depths of the sea. And this tragedy is, of course, not local.
During the same period, in late May and early June, dolphin deaths and the washing ashore of their bodies were also recorded on the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts of the Black Sea."
More details: Rusiev added that live but severely concussed animals had also been found in Odesa Bay.
Quote: "These catastrophic figures recall the bleak year of 2022, when the largest wave of marine mammal deaths began.
The main, terrible and sole root cause of this horror is war. Because of the full-scale and barbaric war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine and our entire environment, the Black Sea ecosystem is on the brink of collapse.
Constant, deadly military pressure – explosions, missile launches and the use of powerful sonars by warships – is destroying biodiversity."
More details: Rusiev said dolphins in the Black Sea faced an environmental disaster caused by several factors, including chemical and acoustic harm.
The animals are suffering from toxic fuel oil hepatitis, pancreatitis and nephritis because of oil product spills. In addition, marine animals are regularly disoriented and driven into traps along polluted coastlines because of sonars, explosions and missile launches from the sea.
During the years of Russia's full-scale war, the volume of nutrients entering the Black Sea ecosystem, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and nitrates, also increased. Heavy metals, oil products, sunflower oil, explosives, chemical compounds and ammunition fragments containing fuel, lubricants, heavy polymers and other harmful substances are also entering the sea.
Quote: "In recent years, the Black Sea ecosystem and its biodiversity have come under severe man-made pressure […]
The populations of unique Black Sea cetaceans are losing their viability, resilience and genetic ability to recover every day. If the world does not stop the aggressor, the Black Sea risks losing its unique rulers forever. We are documenting every such case as a crime against nature."
Background: In May, the remains of a protected harbour porpoise were found in the Tuzly Estuaries area. The bodies of another rare mammal were also washed ashore in Odesa Oblast at the time.
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