Scientists have announced a study of the impact of the fuel oil spill on the state of Utrish.

The Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted an expedition to the waters of the Utrish Nature Reserve. Scientists intend to study the impact of the fuel oil spill on the waters and coast of the Utrish Nature Reserve and the coast of Anapa.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the environmental consequences of the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait have not been eliminated even a year after the tanker disaster, as acknowledged by scientists and authorities in Kuban. On December 14, the government commission coordinating the cleanup of the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait reported that more than 90% of the spilled oil product had been collected. On December 21, volunteers reported collecting 200 bags of fuel oil-contaminated sand in the Temryuk district.

The expedition to the shores of Utrish was conducted to study the consequences of the accident in the Kerch Strait. It was organized by the Chemistry Laboratory of the Southern Branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, under the direction of Valery Chasovnikov, PhD in Geosciences. The main objective: to assess the consequences of the emergency fuel oil spill following the December 2024 accident, the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported on its Telegram channel.

In December 2025, comprehensive studies were conducted jointly with scientists from the Ecology and Hydrophysics Laboratories. "Samples were collected for nutrients, dissolved gases, and man-made pollutants, the state of plankton communities was assessed, and the main physical parameters of the aquatic environment were measured," the institute's Telegram channel stated.

The research results will allow for an objective assessment of the current hydrochemical regime; identify the level of anthropogenic impact on the coastal ecology; and assess the state of the water's recreational resources. "It is now important to comprehensively study the state of the marine ecosystem and the impact of the fuel oil spill on the health of Black Sea inhabitants. This will help protect and preserve them in the future," the publication states.

Scientists from the Southern Branch will conduct regular monitoring until the end of 2027 in collaboration with the Reserve Embassy Foundation and the Utrish Nature Reserve itself as part of the Living Black Sea project.