‘Detrimental, but not critical’: Scientist weighs in on Caspian seal die-offs

MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. The mass deaths of endangered seals that were uncovered on Russia’s Caspian coast in Dagestan will harm the population, but not critically, the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Monday, noting that the exact number of fatalities would be unveiled in 10 days. Scientists from the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Caspian Institute of Biological Resources and the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography are investigating the mass deaths of seals in the Caspian Sea. "No doubt, it's a detriment to the population. But this is not a critical situation considering that according to recent studies, the total population is 300,000. That means this isn’t a large percentage of the population, such things do happen. But it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t tackle this issue," Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Magomed Rasul Magomedov said. Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov said the exact number of the dead seals would be known by December 15. "Specialists will declare the precise number of dead mammals on the entire coast on December 15. Now the entire territory is being examined and we are also trying to obtain information if there are any dead animals in the depths of the sea. These will be confirmed figures, not the preliminary numbers that have been stated," he specified. The minister stressed that until that time any statements regarding the causes of death and the exact number of the dead mammals would be incorrect. On Sunday, the regional Ministry of Natural Resources said some 2,500 endangered seals were found dead on Russia’s Caspian coast in Dagestan. The mass die-offs could have been caused by hypoxia (deprivation of oxygen) due to natural gas emissions, the Russian environmental watchdog’s chief, Svetlana Radionova, said. Photo by Musa Salgereyev/TASS Read more