NYT: Several thousand dolphins found dead on the Black Sea coast

Thousands of dolphins have been found dead on the Black Sea coast in Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. Some of them were found to have burns and traces from bomb explosions.

The New York Times writes about it. It is noted that Russia's aggression against Ukraine causes great damage to life in the Black Sea.

“Some dolphins had burns from bombs or mines, and they could no longer navigate and, of course, they could not look for food,” said Ivan Rusev, an ecologist from the Tuzlov Limany National Natural Park of Ukraine.

He stated that the data collected since the beginning of the war showed the death of several thousand dolphins. The main reason is the increased noise of military vessels and the use of powerful sonar systems, which can disorientate dolphins who use sound to navigate.

The publication notes that studies conducted in Bulgaria, Turkey and Ukraine have shown that marine biodiversity is under increasing threat due to war, including bombs falling on coastal feeding areas, oil from sunken ships and river run-off, contaminated with chemicals used in ammunition.

Information about the dead dolphins was published in March by the Turkish Marine Research Foundation. At the time, scientists were reporting an "extreme increase" in the number of dead dolphins washed ashore.

“Along with marine pollution, ship noise and low-frequency sonars are known to pose a serious threat to marine species, especially dolphins, which actively use underwater sounds for feeding and navigation,” the Turkish researchers said.

The Turkish Marine Research Foundation also said that the war is having a devastating effect on other marine life as well.

The NYT notes that before the war, 100 scientists representing the international group for the conservation of cetaceans, using 10 aircraft and six ships, explored marine life in the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Then they discovered that more than 253,000 dolphins live in the Black Sea. Such an amount, according to scientists, was a positive environmental indicator of the overall ecosystem.

“However, it remains to be seen what the final consequences of the war are for dolphins and other marine life,” the journalists noted.