Kuban volunteers found 17 dead dolphins on the seashore.

During a survey of the coastal section from the Temryuk district to Anapa, 17 dead dolphins were found.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on December 1, volunteers reported that they discovered two dead dolphins while cleaning up the aftermath of a fuel oil spill on the coast in Krasnodar Krai.

A shoreline inspection found 17 dead dolphins in the area between the village of Artyushchenko in the Temryuk District and the village of Dzhemete in Anapa, environmental activists reported today on their Telegram channel "Network, Sieve, Shovel."

Most of them are on the Bugayskaya Spit.

"Yesterday, we continued our shoreline inspection for dead dolphins up to Dzhemete to get a better picture. A total of 17 of them were found in the entire area from Artyushchenko to Dzhemete. The majority are on the Bugayskaya Spit. Seventeen!" – the publication states.

By 3:45 p.m. Moscow time, 10 comments had been posted under the post. The author of several, Evgeny Shikhovtsev, pointed out that the number of dolphins found is not in itself an indicator of the scale of the problem.

"Considering that I've never counted them, for me this is just a number," he wrote. "Considering that we've been working on the [Bugayskaya] Spit for a year, this number is significant for us. Is that enough?" "— retorted the user "Net, Sieve, Shovel."

"Every year is different. For a complete picture, we need statistics. At least for five years. But the fact is, of course, sad. I can't say anything about that," wrote Evgeny Shikhovtsev in response. "Well, we're collecting quietly. In the case of dolphins, it's just the right time to pay close attention," replied "Net, Sieve, Shovel."

"Have you reported this to Delfa? [...] Because when I attended one of their lectures in November, they said that there is no clear trend yet and that the effect on dolphins is only cumulative - oil products gradually get into them with the oil, and they deftly swim around the slicks... something like that. And I understand that statistics are important now, and maybe someone will come and determine the type of damage, which is also useful," wrote Anastasiia Samokhvalova.

"We are working together, don't worry. Actually, we are collecting statistics for Delfa, after all, "Also Delphi volunteers," replied chat administrator Stasya.

"As the locals say: they get caught in fishing nets, then they're simply thrown away. They're thrown away secretly because there's a fine for dolphins," wrote Svetoch. "We're locals, and we don't say that," Stasya countered.

As a reminder, in mid-April, environmentalists reported the deaths of more than 120 dolphins amid a fuel oil spill in the Krasnodar Territory. Typically, the stranding season for cetaceans in the Black Sea lasts from March to June. This is due, in part, to the animals' weakened immune systems after winter. However, this process is occurring amid the aftermath of a large-scale fuel oil spill.

On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, a crew member of one of the tankers died. Furthermore, an oil spill occurred, leading to catastrophic environmental consequences, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Fuel Oil Spill in the Kerch Strait".

Materials on the consequences of the fuel oil spill have been compiled by the Caucasian Knot on the page "Eco-disaster in Kuban".