Around 40 dead dolphins have washed up on a shore of the Black Sea, according to Russian media.
The species found on the beach near Blagoveshchenskaya, south-west Russia, were Black Sea bottlenose dolphins, reported media outlet RIA Novosti, and are listed in Russia's "Red Book"—which catalogues rare and endangered species.
"The Azov Black Sea Interdistrict Environmental Prosecutor's Office organized verification measures on the fact of finding dead dolphins on the Black Sea coast in Anapa, including those aimed at establishing the causes of the death of animals," the report says. The bodies of the dolphins have been sent for examination to determine a cause of death.
Delfa, a Russia-based dolphin rescue and research center in the Black Sea region, told Russian news outlet TASS that there has recently been a sharp increase in the number of dolphin deaths in the region. Newsweek contacted Delfa for comment via email.
Delfa reported the discovery of more than 100 dead sea animals found washed up on Russian beaches in March alone. "A total of 137 cetaceans died in the last month. "This is a serious figure," Delfa wrote on the messaging app Telegram. Cetaceans refers to fishlike water mammals including whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
"In the last week alone, we recorded 101 dolphin deaths. On March 31, we were informed about 26 deaths," the rescue center confirmed in early April, according to a report by The Moscow Times earlier this month.
The newspaper reported that the dolphins' bodies showed signs of having been caught in fishing nets, with investigators observing deep scratches, missing fins or tails, and torn stomachs. Some were found entangled in ropes. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), entanglement is responsible for at least 300,000 cetacean deaths per year.
Delfa suggested the latest deaths may have been caused by fishermen trying to get rid of their bycatch. "Of course, fishermen don't kill dolphins intentionally," Delfa told The Moscow Times. "But this amount is impossible to hide."
This year, Russian authorities doubled the fishing quota for flounders in Russia's Caucasus region. "Flounder nets are the most dangerous for cetaceans," Delfa said.
The center warned that dolphin numbers could rapidly deplete if changes aren't made: "If an alternative isn't found or the fishing rules aren't revised, the Black Sea will be left without dolphins."
Beach wash-ups aren't abnormal, and can occur for a variety of reasons.
Last year, similar scenes were reported in California, with more than 1,000 reports of sick and dead mammals being reported within less than a week. Between June 8 and 14, 2023, the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute said it was receiving more than 200 reports per day of marine mammals, including dolphins and sea lions, in distress along the southern California coast due to harmful algae forming in the area.
In the U.K., a 52-foot-long fin whale washed up on a beach in Cornwall. While a conclusive reason for why the mammal died is not known, authorities said it was malnourished before it died.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
