SEVASTOPOL, January 16. /TASS/. A large group of dolphins and porpoises that followed migrating fish came dangerously close to the site of an oil spill in the Kerch Strait, candidate of biological sciences Irina Logominova told TASS.
"Dolphins follow migrating fish - a winter migration of the European anchovy is ongoing, and we see that the common bottlenose dolphins from the western and southwestern water areas [adjacent to the Crimean Peninsula] came in large numbers to the water area in the southeast [relative to the Crimean Peninsula]. Having migrated for fish, they are now trying to feed and restore losses over the winter period," the employee of the Karadag Scientific Station named after T.I. Vyazemsky (Natural reserve of the Russian Academy of Sciences) said.
Along with the common bottlenose dolphins, the largest marine mammals of the Black Sea, the common dolphins and porpoises neared the Kerch Strait area, Logominova specified.
Animals began to gather near the hazardous zone just a few days ago, the scientist said. Dolphins that usually live in the area did not leave it after it had been affected by the oil spill - as a rule, these mammals live in one place and rarely migrate. Scientists use special methods of counting dolphins from several communities to identify animals, the expert added.
While in the oil-contaminated zone, animals can suffer from various dangers, including intoxication and subsequent disruption of internal organs, Logominova stressed. Over the past month, accumulations of oil have spread over a large area off the coast of Crimea and Krasnodar Region, and predicting the risks for marine animals became even more complicated. Now scientists can barely identify the extent of contamination, its area, and depth in particular.
On January 15, the Crimean dolphin treatment center called the Serene Sea reported finding the bodies of 34 dolphins on the Black Sea coast of Crimea and Sevastopol.
On December 15, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers were caught in a storm in the Kerch Strait area in the Black Sea. According to emergency services, the tankers were carrying about 9,200 tons of fuel oil. About 2,400 tons of oil has leaked into the Black Sea, and clean-up operations are underway. The tanker accident affected the Black Sea coast of Crimea and Krasnodar Region, as well as the Azov Sea coast.