An independent ecologist from Aktau, chairman of the regional ecological council of the 'ECOJER' Association, Adilbek Kozybak, has commented on the fish die-off on the Caspian Sea coast.
According to the MIA 'Kazinform', he believes the incident could be evidence of an environmental catastrophe. At the same time, the ecologist noted that analysing samples taken only from the coast cannot provide a complete picture.
"The mass death of fish is an obvious sign of sea pollution. To pinpoint the source of pollution, it is necessary to conduct research directly in the suspected area of the incident. Otherwise, if samples are taken from other locations, the results may be unreliable," the statement reads.
In the ecologist's opinion, strict control should be imposed on all companies operating in the Caspian region in this situation.
"Independent experts must be brought in to carry out such inspections. Only then can we prevent further environmental disasters," Adilbek Kozybak noted.
In turn, the director of the Mangistau branch of the Republican Association of Fisheries and Aquaculture 'Qazaq Balyq', Daniyar Akimzhanov, stated that the mass death of small fish in the Caspian Sea has been observed for two to three years. According to him, waterfowl are also starting to die.
"Mainly young specimens of the Caspian roach have died. By autumn, they should have grown and reached commercial size. That is precisely when the fishing season begins. Now they say they are taking water and soil samples, but that is clearly not enough. Concrete and effective steps need to be taken. Independent ecologists should be involved, samples should be sent to independent analytical laboratories, and systematic, comprehensive work should be organised," Akimzhanov stated.
He also supported the ecologist Adilbek Kozybak's statement about the inadmissibility of limiting inspections only to coastal zones of populated areas.
"The islands, as well as the northern and southern parts of the Caspian, must also be surveyed. Everything should be subject to inspection," Daniyar Akimzhanov emphasised.
Recall that earlier in the Mangistau region, a fish die-off was recorded on the Caspian Sea coast. Specialists from the regional ecology department travelled to the area of the city of Fort-Shevchenko in the Tupkaragan district to take seawater samples. They promised to announce the results of the laboratory tests later.