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Eastern Caspian
59
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.