Kazakh Ministry Links Seal Deaths to Preliminary Cause as Toll Tops 1,000

Photo: kaspika.org

1,034 carcasses of Caspian seals were found washed ashore of the Caspian Sea in Tupkaraganskiy district, Mangistau region, from October 24 to November 13 as part of the monitoring conducted by the Zhaiyk-Caspian interregional basin inspectorate in fishery, said the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, The Caspian Post reports.

According to the Kazakh ministry, fractional sampling was conducted for further tests as part of the monitoring and joint work with the scientific organizations such as the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, Center for the Study and Rehabilitation of the Caspian Seal and Research and the Production Center of Microbiology and Virology.

The Committee of Fisheries assumes that the cause of seal deaths can be natural disasters, including natural gas leaks due to earthquakes. The final conclusion about the cause of mass deaths among seals will be revealed following laboratory tests, that will take 3-4 months, according to scientific organizations. The fisheries inspectorate is to continue monitoring the territorial waters to identify factors leading to deaths among seals, the ministry informed.

The Veterinary Control and Supervision Committee employees also collected the samples of pathological material, that are being studied for infectious diseases at the National Veterinary Reference Center in Astana.

As of November 13, 2024, all the samples examined by PCR showed negative results for pasteurellosis, avian influenza, canine distemper, salmonellosis and listeriosis, Monitoring of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is ongoing. It’s worth to note that mass seal deaths were first reported in the Caspian Sea in the early 2000s. In particular, around 10,000 dead seals were discovered in 2000, caused by chronic toxicosis, added the Kazakh ministry.

Earlier it was reported that over 150 carcasses of seals were found along the Caspian coastline in Mangistau region as a result of the western storm winds on October 23.

Previously, it was reported that 40 carcasses of Caspian seals were found washed up on the shore of the Caspian Sea in Mangistau region in March and almost 80 in April this year.

Ecologist Adilbek Kozybakov voiced concern over the mass die-off of Caspian seals, attributing it to the lack of real control.

To note, the country added the Caspian seals to its book of endangered species in 2020.