Mangystau authorities report death of nearly 300 seals due to fishing nets

The Ministry of Ecology of Kazakhstan has identified a potential cause for the mass deaths of seals in the Mangystau region, suggesting that some of the animals may have died due to human factors, specifically entanglement in fishing nets.

According to Vice Minister of Ecology Zhomart Aliyev, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources is closely monitoring the situation with the seals and a special regional commission is investigating the case.

«The information regarding the seal deaths has been confirmed and water samples have been collected. The regional commission includes representatives from veterinary inspection and the Fisheries Committee. We are now awaiting the results of lab analysis. We suspect that some of the seals may have died due to fishing nets, a human-caused impact,» Aliyev stated.

The official added that the majority of seal carcasses had already begun to decay.

«This is why all necessary specialists are involved in the commission’s work. Each specialist must conduct lab analyses and provide us with a final verdict. We are awaiting those results,» the vice minister noted.

In the past five days, the reported number of dead seals in Mangystau has doubled — from an initial 151 to approximately 289 carcasses.

The Caspian seal, the smallest seal species in the world, is an endangered species.

In April, investigators discovered 12 seal carcasses, and since March, over 180 seals have been found dead along the shoreline. While all necessary samples have been collected, no results have been disclosed yet.

In 2023, fish inspectors found 59 seal carcasses, while between October and December of 2022, 172 carcasses were discovered. The cause of this mass mortality was identified as acute pneumonia, likely worsened by viral infections due to weakened immunity. Pollution in their habitat appears to be a contributing factor to the seals’ reduced immunity.