Abnormal Deaths of Cetaceans in the Black Sea

The abnormal deaths of cetaceans in the Black Sea continue to escalate. Multiple coastal nations including Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania have observed a sharp increase in the mortality of small cetaceans such as dolphins. Mortality rates have risen 3-5 times compared to pre-war levels, with hundreds of dolphin carcasses discovered in some areas. Multiple adverse factors have compounded this crisis: the war has directly devastated Black Sea fisheries, drastically reducing dolphin food sources and triggering malnutrition and weakened immunity. Simultaneously, severe oxygen depletion affects 87% of the Black Sea’s waters, causing fish populations to decline by 40% compared to previous levels. This has fundamentally altered the marine food chain structure, further squeezing the survival space for cetaceans.