According to an independent ecologist, the number of seals has decreased by 90 percent over the past 100 years. If at the beginning of the 20th century there were 1.2 million, now there are between 75,000 and 270,000. Cases of Caspian seal deaths have become more frequent since 2000. Hundreds or even thousands of marine mammals die every year. Various reasons are given for this. Among them are various diseases, such as canine distemper, pasteurellosis, and chronic toxicosis.

In 2024, specialists from the Almaty Scientific and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology reported that the seals died from a neuroviral infection that has not yet been fully studied.

— All this is due to the destruction of the seal’s marine habitat. This weakens the animals’ immunity. This can be affected by oil production from the sea, water pollution during its transportation, and seismic exploration. There is currently no precise information on the Caspian seal population. The number is approximately 75 to 270 thousand, — says Bakytgul Zhaksylykova, a member of the regional environmental council of the ECOJER Association.

According to the ecologist, the Caspian seal is considered to be a representative of the highest link in the food chain. Pollution of the sea affects the physical condition of the seals, making them living indicators of the ecological situation in the Caspian.

— The Caspian seal is endemic to the Caspian Sea, it is found nowhere else in the world, so its conservation remains extremely important. For decades, oil exploration and industrial pollution have damaged the marine ecosystem. When the seals died in November 2022, the cause was pneumonia caused by an outbreak of viral infections caused by weakened immunity. And one of the reasons for the decrease in immunity is the pollution of the animals’ habitat, — the specialist says.

Environmentalist, member of the regional environmental council of the ECOJER Association and teacher of chemistry and biology at NIS Bakytgul Zhaksylykova suggested ways to preserve seals:

• Firstly, it is necessary to conduct regular studies not only of the carcasses of dead seals, but also of living ones.
• Secondly, it is necessary to involve local independent experts in the monitoring work carried out by large companies and scientific organizations at sea.
• Thirdly, 30 percent of the amount of compensation collected from poachers should be allocated to combat poachers.
• Fourthly, I propose to amend subparagraph five of paragraph one of Article 154 of the Entrepreneurial Code. The words “and independent experts” should be added to the place of “state bodies have the right to involve specialists, consultants and experts of state bodies and subordinate organizations when exercising control over subjects of supervision and control of officials”.
• Fifthly, conduct sociological research (surveys, focus group interviews, in-depth interviews) among the population of coastal villages; it is also important to study the experience of older generation fishermen in caring for the bioresources of the Caspian Sea.
• It is also necessary to develop a memo on the algorithm of actions in case of discovery of a seal corpse, distribute it among local residents and guests of the sea city of Kazakhstan, hang it on the embankment, publish it in the media and social networks.

Bakytgul Zhaksylykova also considers it appropriate for the Kazakh side to take the initiative in organizing an extraordinary council of the Tehran Convention, adopting a protocol on public control over compliance with the requirements of the Tehran and Aarhus Conventions in the Caspian states.

In her opinion, it would not be superfluous to provide career guidance for specialists in the ecological and biological fields (marine mammalogist, ichthyologist, ornithologist, veterinarian), and a grant for applicants.

“We need to create a special working group to implement these proposals,” she says.

All these proposals were presented to the Akim of Mangistau region.

It was previously reported that seals were coming to the territory of the deposits in Mangistau. The deposit’s ecologists are working to return them to the sea.

Let us recall that an open database on the Caspian seal will be created in Kazakhstan.

https://www.inform.kz/ru/za-poslednee-stoletie-chislennost-kaspiyskih-tyuleney-sokratilas-na-90-11507c