Mangystau Region: Experts Named Reason Behind Seals Dying

The Fisheries Inspection Department of the Mangystau Region has named the main reason for the mass death of seals, regularly found on the coast of the Caspian Sea, Orda.kz reports, citing Lada.kz.

Specialists inspect the shore daily and collect the bodies. Employees of the Akimat of Tupkaragan District assist them.

One reason for the death of Caspian seals, considered endangered, is poaching. The animals get entangled in nets and cannot get out, the Jaiyq-Caspian Interregional Basin Fisheries Inspectorate reported.

According to Andrey Rutskoy from the Mangystau Region Fisheries Inspection Department, 454 seals have already been collected and disposed of since the end of October.

Bad weather complicates cleaning the shore, and a team from Atyrau has arrived to help the specialists. Rutskoy stressed that the fisheries inspection is ready to cooperate with organizations interested in investigating the situation.

The inspection staff notes that many bodies show traces of fishing nets, although not all dead seals were subject to poaching. To solve the problem, the specialist suggests banning the purchase of high-speed boats, which poachers actively use.

Recently, more than 120 dead seals were found in just one day.

Original Auhtor: Artem Volkov