Research fellow at the "Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology" Assel Baimukanova spoke about the seal carcasses that were found and the monitoring of mortality among these animals in the Caspian Sea.
According to press.kz, some of the dead seals were so decomposed, in her words, that it was impossible to take the necessary samples from them.
"We have been carrying out mortality monitoring of the Caspian seal in the spring since 2017. But we also started conducting mortality monitoring in the autumn from 2022. I would like to point out straight away that we do not consider the spring mortality to be mass mortality. Why? Because the carcasses washed ashore are in different stages of decomposition, meaning the seals died at different times", explains Assel Baimukanova.
The scientist also said that samples are taken for parasitological studies and to determine their diet at the time of death.
At the same time, it became known that since 13 April, staff of the "Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology", conducting daily monitoring on the coast of the Tyub-Karagan Peninsula, have discovered 6 seal carcasses.
"Currently, southern winds are blowing, but the strandings (of seals on the shore) mainly occur when western winds are blowing. We will be able to provide the results of the research within six months", concluded Assel Baimukanova.
Reports of dead seals on the coast of the Caspian Sea first appeared on 29 March. At that time, employees of the Fisheries Inspectorate of the Mangystau Region, during a coastal monitoring operation, discovered 62 carcasses of dead seals in the Tupkaragan District.
Later, it was reported that as of 8 April, the total number of dead seals found on the Caspian coast had reached 103 carcasses.