Thousands of dead marine animals have been found along the Pacific coast . Now, the Russian authorities believe that this catastrophe could be the result of pollution caused by man, but perhaps also by natural phenomena or an earthquake related to a volcano.
The governor of the Kamchatka region, Vladimir Solodov, presented these three theories after the images showing hundreds of dead marine animals (seals, starfish, crabs, fish, octopuses, sea urchins …) in the shore of Khalaktyrsky Beach, a popular tourist destination, went viral on social media. Surfers in the area had previously complained of experiencing eye pain, sore throat, vomiting and fever after entering the water.
Ecological disaster
Mass mortality events (MME) is the name given to events in which large numbers of populations die in a short time frame. In this case, as hundreds of dead marine animals continue to appear on the shores of the beach, it is becoming more apparent that the region is in the midst of a devastating MME.
Water pollution on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has raised fears that rocket fuel stored in military proving grounds in the region has leaked . In fact, the Radygino test area is about 10 kilometers from the sea and was used for drills in August.
It is possible that the old reserves of rocket fuel kept at Radygino could have oxidized and the fuel had seeped into streams.
Greenpeace, which has been assessing the area, warned of an “ecological disaster.” According to the organization, tests of water samples from around Khalaktyrsky beach show oil levels four times higher than normal, and levels of the toxic organic compound phenol were also 2.5 times higher. Greenpeace also claimed to have seen patches of yellowish foam and cloudy water at various locations, with some contamination drifting towards a UNESCO-protected area of volcanoes.
Experts at the World Wildlife Fund suspect a highly toxic substance is to blame, spreading through this globally important marine hotspot. WWF-Russia is analyzing samples from the affected area to investigate the source of possible water contamination. Preliminary tests from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources rule out the possibility of a spill and toxic contamination appears to be the most likely source . The person responsible for this contamination event is unknown, at the moment, pending further analysis.
The governor of Kamchatka, dressed in a “We are the Pacific Ocean” t-shirt, vowed on Instagram to lead a “transparent” investigation and fire any official responsible for the pollution.
Environmental inspectors and experts from a fisheries and oceanography research center continue with the analyzes.
This peninsula and its black sand beaches are often a popular adventure tourist destination, due to the abundance of wildlife and its active volcanoes.
