Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation

Eastern Caspian

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Environment and Security

caspica ) and sturgeon in the last two dec- ades were caused by the accumulated im- pacts of pollution, ecosystem change and epidemics. Although most of the pollution is brought to the sea by rivers, oil spills and shelf exploration also have a negative effect on the environment. Eutrophication due to wash-out of agricul- tural fertilizers stimulates the growth of toxic algae, especially in the northern and south- ern Caspian Sea. As the algae die and de- cay, they rob the water of oxygen, creating dead zones where marine life cannot survive. Mass flowering of toxic algae ( N. spumigena, N. harveyana ) is increasingly regarded as an additional stress factor for the marine eco- system. The first evidence was reported in 1999, and in 2004 localized fish deaths oc- curred (especially phytophagous grey mullet and goby) due to the algae’s toxic effects. In 2006 major spots of blue-green algae were detected on the Iranian coast (CEP 2007). Intensive fishing since the 1950s combined with unsustainable fishery practices rapidly depleted fish stocks. The catch of sturgeon, the main commercial fish of the Caspian Sea, has dropped steadily in recent decades from 16 800 tonnes in 1981, through 8 000 tonnes in 1991, to less than 1 000 tonnes in the 2000s. The official catch for the entire Caspian Sea in the two years 2003–4 was only about 100 tonnes, signalling the indus- try’s complete collapse (CEP, 2007). Experts link this dramatic decline with the combined effects of damage to the spawning grounds in the Volga and Ural deltas, dam construc- tion, over-fishing, increasing poaching and pollution, and increased competition for zo- oplankton by invasive species affecting the food available for the fish (CEP, 2007). Apart from a small annual quota it has been ille- gal to catch sturgeon in Turkmenistan since 1946. In Kazakhstan the catch in the Cas-

pian-Ural river basin dropped from about 8 000 tonnes in 1980 to less than 200 tonnes in recent years (Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan on statistics; CEP 2006 b). Il- legal sturgeon fishing (poaching) in the Cas- pian Sea continues at a significant level, such activities having been stimulated by the economic crisis, social problems and increasingly lax controls. In 2006 almost 3 tonnes of illegal sturgeon catches, 127 ki- los of black caviar and 26 tonnes of other fish were registered in the Kazakh sector of the sea. In 2007 the Kazakh authorities re- ported catches of 0.5 tonnes of sturgeon, 33 kilos of black caviar and 19 tonnes of other types of fish (KazInform news 2006 a; Akhmetov 2006; Ministry of Environment Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan 2007). Poachers from other regions, mostly Dagestan and Azerbaijan, on the opposite coast of the Caspian, are also operating in the waters of the eastern Caspian. Although the importance of fishing as a commercial activity has significantly de- clined, fishing remains an important factor in the survival of the coastal population of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Sturgeon is the main source of cash income, while small fish are mostly used for food. Therefore, a stable, healthy environment plays a critical role for the livelihoods of coastal communi- ties. The gradual decline of these resources could increase vulnerability to crisis, un- employment and hunger, undermining their overall situation. Finally, the invasion of destructive species such as Mnemiopsis leidyi , a bioluminescent jellyfish first observed in 1999 in the Caspian Sea, affected the food chain with dramatic consequences for anchovy kilka ( Clupe- onella engrauliformis ) in 2001–3. Kilka is a main fishery product in the eastern Caspian region, especially in Turkmenistan.