The beaches of the countries bordering the Black Sea have flooded with thousands of dead dolphins. According to the New York Times, scientists believe that Russia is responsible for the mass death of mammals due to its invasion of Ukraine.
Biologists say scientists have counted several thousand dead dolphins off the coasts of Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. It is specified that the animals were affected by the noise of numerous watercraft, the frequent sounds of explosions from exploding bombs, as well as pollution of water from sunken ships with oil and chemicals used in ammunition. Hydroacoustic systems that allow them to navigate in space and communicate with each other may have been damaged. Zoologists have found burns in some dolphins thrown ashore.
“Some dolphins had burns from bomb or mine explosions, and they could no longer navigate and, of course, could not look for food,” he wrote.
The newspaper also published a statement made by Turkish scientists in March. According to this information, not only marine pollution but also low-frequency sonar threatens dolphin populations.
Ivan Rusev, an ecologist at the Tuzla Estuaries National Nature Park, said data collected by his organization since the start of the war showed the deaths of several thousand dolphins.
“Along with pollution of the marine environment, ship noise and low-frequency sonar pose a serious threat to marine species, especially dolphins, which actively use underwater sounds for navigation,” experts warned.
The Turkish Marine Research Foundation also said the war was having a devastating effect on wider marine biodiversity.
The Russian fleet dominates the Black Sea off the coast of Ukraine and has imposed a blockade on all Ukrainian ships. Russia has campaigned vigorously to gain control of several key Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and the adjacent Sea of Azov, and its warships are patrolling the waters around Ukraine.
Before the war, 100 scientists from the International Cetacean Conservation Group studied marine life in the Black and Mediterranean Seas with the help of 10 planes and six ships. They found that more than 253,000 dolphins live in the Black Sea, a healthy number that scientists say is a positive ecological indicator of the overall ecosystem.
However, it remains to be seen what the ultimate consequences of the war will be for dolphins and other marine life.