SOCHI, April 10. /TASS/. Environmentalists found more than 100 dead dolphins on the coast of the Krasnodar Region in March, Tatyana Beley, director of the Russian Scientific and Ecological Center for Dolphin Rescue and Research known as Delpha, told TASS.

The season of cetacean strandings, which lasts from March to June, has begun in the Black Sea. Among other reasons, the specialist outlined the reduction in animals' immune response in winter. Earlier, the center reported that 22 dolphins were found dead in the first week of March.

"[We found] 104 [dead dolphins] in March," Beley said, adding that the center's team reported finding the bodies of 22 cetaceans on the Black Sea coast in the first six days of April.

The Black Sea and Azov Sea are home to three species of cetaceans: the Black Sea harbor porpoise, the Black Sea common bottlenose dolphin, and the common dolphin. The first two are listed in Russia’s Red Data Book, while the third is included in Crimea’s Red Book, indicating that all three species are critically endangered and require immediate protection and conservation efforts.

Since April 2018, Delpha has set up a hotline that receives calls about injured and dead dolphins found along the coast of Krasnodar Region. In less than 5 years, the deaths of more than 1,600 animals have been recorded. Experts say it is only the tip of the iceberg - most of the dead cetaceans remain in the sea.