Mass strandings reveal dangerous situation for marine mammals off the occupied Crimea

The Crimea, a peninsula in the north of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe, is mostly recognized as Ukrainian by most countries but was annexed by Russia during the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.

While the revolution and occupation have impacted the population and terrestrial environment heavily, its effect can now also be seen for marine wildlife. The reports of stranding events have increased over the last half decade. According to the Center for the Study, Rescue and Rehabilitation of Marine Mammals ‘Serene Sea’, this year has reached a peak. While 468 marine mammals had been recorded after beaching on the Crimea shores in the whole of 2019, there were already 416 stranding incidents by the beginning of June this year.

Though peaks occur during the months where the industrial fishery is most active, by-catch is not the only reason. Only last week, three baby dolphins have been found with stab-wounds under the pectoral fin that were identified as their main reason of death. Similar incidents had been seen before on porpoises. Additionally, pollution is a main threat in the area. Many of the animals washed ashore show illnesses resulting from water contaminated with mercury and heavy metals. Again, a baby harbour porpoise stranding last week was victim to the effects, showing “horrific dehydration, severe hyperkalemia and hypoglycemia”.

A baby dolphin was found stranded with the effects of the polluted water along the Crimean coast

Serene Sea state that the “connivance of the “authorities” and disregard of the rules for the treatment of the dolphins lead to the fact that in the temporarily occupied Peninsula to destroy a new generation of animals listed in the Red book”. Answering a request about the number of cases of dolphins caught in by-catch, the Federal Agency for Fishery stated that they had only received one report about dolphin by-catch during this year.

For more on the topic, see https://ctrcenter.org/en/news/4608-2020-god-bet-rekordy-po-kolichestvu-vybrosov-kitoobraznyh-v-krymu-serene-sea, https://thesaxon.org/off-the-coast-of-the-occupied-crimea-found-three-baby-dolphins-with-stab-wounds/11662/ and https://thesaxon.org/a-new-tragedy-with-the-dolphins-in-the-occupied-crimea-on-the-beach-jumped-a-dehydrated-baby/16921/