Mass Death of 'Over a Thousand' Caspian Seals on the Coasts of Kazakhstan

The government of Kazakhstan reports that over a thousand seal carcasses have been discovered along the shores of the Caspian Sea in the past month. Although mass deaths of seals in this region have been reported previously, new data from the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan indicates that the recent fatalities occurred on a 'large scale.' According to the ministry, fishery officials have discovered 1,034 seal carcasses along the coast in the 'Tupkaragan' area of the 'Maqashlaq' region in western Kazakhstan between October 24 and November 13. The Fisheries Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan suspects that natural phenomena, including the release of natural gas due to underwater earthquakes, may be the cause of the seal deaths, but a final conclusion regarding the causes of this event may take three to four months after laboratory tests are completed. Nevertheless, tissue sample tests as of November 13 have been negative for several infectious diseases and avian influenza. Environmental specialists in 'Maqashlaq' state that water samples taken from areas where the seals were found show no 'unusual deviations.' According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, the Fisheries Inspection Authority continues to monitor territorial waters to identify factors leading to seal deaths. Ecologists and environmental specialists have evaluated various possibilities, including 'lack of environmental control' and 'illegal hunting,' as reasons for the seal deaths. Edilbek Kozybakov, an ecologist, expressed concern about the mass death of Caspian seals, attributing it to a 'lack of real control' over the region's ecosystem. According to Asel Baymukhanova, a specialist at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, studies on the carcasses examined so far indicate that all of them were well-fed and more than half of the female samples were pregnant. This researcher stated on her personal Instagram page: 'The seals were young and alive before their death. Their death appears to be unnatural and sudden.' This expert also noted that seals migrate to the northern Caspian Sea for breeding every autumn, which is why the deaths have occurred concentrated in the northern waters during this period. According to the 'Eurasianet' website, Kazakh officials estimate the overall population of Caspian seals to be around 300,000, but specialists say there may be fewer than 100,000 Caspian seals remaining. The news outlet 'Lada' reported that seals getting caught in fishing nets is one of the theories being investigated to explain their deaths and suggested that seals may have been trapped in fishing nets by 'illegal hunters.' The Caspian seal is a unique species whose population is severely declining amid climate change and other environmental threats such as fishing, pollution, and shrinking seas. Mass mortality of seals was first reported in the Caspian Sea in the early 2000s due to 'chronic poisoning.' Kazakh officials attributed the death of nearly 200 seals in late 2022 to 'pneumonia.' As concerns grow about the impact of oil extraction, industrial waste, and other environmental damages on the sea's ecosystem, significant cases of seal deaths have been reported in recent years. In November 2022, over 170 carcasses were found along the coasts of Kazakhstan, and a month later, about 2,500 dead seals were discovered in Russian territory. In 2023, Kazakh officials declared 'viral infections' as the primary cause of seal deaths and added that the immune systems of these animals have been compromised due to pollution. Russian health officials also attributed this mass mortality to 'natural factors,' considering it poisoning caused by gases released from beneath the sea bed.