Endangered 'Kaspihae Water Seal' Pregnant Females Also Mass-Killed... What Is the Cause?

"Due to Marine Pollution and Infectious Diseases"... Entrusted with Carcass Sample Analysis

Over 500 endangered Caspian seals were found dead washed ashore along the coast of the Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland sea.

Caspian Sea seal. [Image source=Independent media outlet Moscow Times]

On the 8th (local time), foreign media including AFP reported that the Fisheries Committee of Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country bordering the Caspian Sea, announced in a statement the previous day that 534 carcasses of the endangered Caspian seal had been found along its coastline from the 24th of last month until the day before. The Fisheries Committee explained, "According to scientists, marine pollution and an epidemic may be the causes of the mass death of the seals."

Among the carcasses found this time, several individuals with injuries and pregnant females were also confirmed. The committee added, "We have sent samples of the decomposed carcasses to the laboratory," noting that it may take up to four months to obtain the analysis results.

The Caspian Sea is an inland sea surrounded by five countries: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, and Turkmenistan. However, recently, the water level has rapidly decreased and temperatures have risen, threatening the flora and fauna inhabiting the area. There have been previous instances of seal carcasses washing ashore along the Caspian coast. In October last year, more than 150 seal carcasses were found washed ashore in the Mangystau region of the Caspian Sea, and in March and April, 40 and 80 carcasses were discovered respectively.

Meanwhile, the Caspian seal is the only marine mammal inhabiting the Caspian Sea. It has no external ears and grows to a height of 126?129 cm, which is smaller compared to other seal species. It is known that the population of Caspian seals reached 1.5 million about a century ago, but by 2022, it had sharply declined to around 70,000. Kazakhstan, which included the Caspian seal on its endangered species list, agreed in 2021 with Russia on a joint action plan to protect the seals.