Sea of Azov

High fish stocks

For a long time and to recent last Meotid as ancient Greeks called the Sea of Azov, was on the natural characteristics one of wonders of the world. Until recently (2013) the Sea of Azov, small (the maximum depth about 14 meters) and quickly warmed up, on catches of fish per acre won first place in the world among all sea reservoirs. Here the beluga, a sturgeon, a starred sturgeon, a flounder-kalkan, a flounder gloss, the Black Sea herring, a goatfish, a mullet, a hamsa, a tyulka and a set of species of a bull-calf were caught.

High productivity of the sea was explained by fast reproduction of fish stocks, abundance of spawning areas (1.3 square kilometers of spawning areas were the share of 10 square kilometers of the water area), low salinity (10.5 per milles) and big inflow of pure sweet water.

In 1936 the catch of fish in the Sea of Azov made the 275, 5 thousand tons, in the early sixties of the XX century this indicator grew to 760 thousand tons. Since then catch volume annually decreased approximately by 16.6 thousand tons. By 2013 digits of the middle of the last century seem a fantasy.

Intake of water and pollution of the sea

Among the reasons which first of all influenced reduction of fish stocks in Soviet period, scientists select cardinal hydrological changes in the basin of the sea. In particular, construction in 1956 of the Tsimlyansk water-engineering system and control of the Kuban River led to reduction of a freshwater drain in the sea almost twice. At the same time the majority of spawning areas of species of fish through passage, including a sturgeon, a beluga, a starred sturgeon, rybets and others which made a considerable share of a catch was isolated.

Besides, in process of development of the industry and agriculture in seashores, also irrevocable intakes of water (from the rivers of the pool), mainly increased by irrigation. Because of it more Black Sea water began to come to the Sea of Azov that led to increase in level of salinity which, however, was stabilized in recent years.

Taking away water from the sea, the person gave it in exchange waste of the business activities — salts of heavy metals, pesticides, oil products. By the time of the collapse of the USSR in the basin of the Sea of Azov 17 percent industrial and 22 percent of agricultural products of the Union were produced.

For 2013, according to ecologists, drain waters in the sea reset 1200 industrial enterprises. Industrial enterprises and the ports of Mariupol — Azovstal plants, a name of Ilyich, Azovmash concern are considered as the main sources of pollution. The total amount of harmful resets is estimated at 5 billion cubic meters annually.

Saturation of sea water pesticides periodically leads to "kills" — cases of mass death of fish. And in recent years, after populations of the sea inhabitants, most sensitive to pollution, were already reduced so that death of their representatives takes place unnoticed, "kills" overtook also an unpretentious bull-calf. Almost annually tens of tons of a bull-calf appear on the Azov beaches because of so-called "oxygen hunger" when water temperature during the summer period rises so that fishes lack oxygen and they direct to the coast.

Dead fish on beaches of the Sea of Azov. Photo: meteoprog.ua

To the middle of the 1980th years the catch of fish fell in the Sea of Azov by 2-3 times in comparison with 1936. Production of fishes through passage was reduced for the same time at 5-15 times, including sturgeon by 4-9 times. For 2013 the beluga in the sea disappeared actually completely and capture of a simple sturgeon is represented a superdifficult task. One more reason of decrease in trade catches several times specialists call influence of zheletely organisms, in other words jellyfishes, on fodder resources of a hamsa and the tyulki who make the lion share of a catch of the Azov fish. But also jellyfishes appeared in the Sea of Azov not in itself, and thanks to increase in level of salinity of water — as soon as few years ago it fell, it was not slow to affect positively and a catch of the tyulki with anchovies.

Poaching

For August, 2013 the border between Russia and Ukraine lying across the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, still not a delimitirovana. And this with the fact that in 2012 the parties allegedly completely settled all matters of argument connected with separation of the Kerch waterway and even signed the relevant agreement. As the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vladimir Ohryzko considers, Russia consciously drags out process of delimitation as "according to international law, the line of border passes in such a way that the most part of the Sea of Azov is the Ukrainian territory". What, according to the ex-minister, does not suit Moscow.

Uncertainty with border interferes with normal observance of nature protection legislations of two countries.

The Azov poachers, in difference, for example, from those who trade on the Caspian Sea and it is aimed almost only at catch of sturgeon, do not disdain anything — the beluga was beaten out, also the flounder will descend. Beat out a flounder — let there will be a bull-calf. After disorder of the Soviet fish farms which worked any ordered the Russian and Ukrainian businessmen used the ground trawls prohibited in the 1970th years. At such trawling which gained distribution in the last twenty years not only benthonic habitats of fishes are plowed up and seaweed where many types throw caviar (for example, sargan) are mown clean, but also mollusks filtration organisms — a basis of a food supply of a great number of fishes, in particular sturgeon are destroyed. Besides, trawls lift dregs which spread to tens of kilometers and reduces transparency of water to zero.

According to the Crimean Ecology and Peace Association, for 2013 in the Sea of Azov several tens of harvesting vessels applying all types of trawls work. At the same time officially specified vessels have the work authorization only ring seines and on a limited number of catch. Actually it is only possible to guess volumes of the general catch.

In 2009 ecologists appealed to the State Office of Public Prosecutor of Ukraine to check observance of prohibition on trawling fishing in the Sea of Azov, but the situation changed a little since then. Locals at the same time note that in comparison with "dashing nineties" the number of poachers was strongly reduced, but is already unclear that was to it the main reason — efforts of the authorities or just catastrophic reduction of fish stocks.

As first of all fish disappears near the coast, fishermen should go behind her further and further to the sea where there are collisions of poachers with frontier guards. Especially as fish, as a rule, acquires fat in a northern part of the sea — at the Ukrainian coast, and goes to throw caviar towards Russia. After in July Russians sank a launch from Donetsk region, Ukrainians began to remember the similar cases which occurred in recent years. According to residents of coastal villages, the Russian frontier guards constantly "drive" and periodically heat the Ukrainian poachers. And such cases in the majority do not receive any publicity: just the person went to the sea, and from the ends. And it is possible to write off loss always for extremely restless temper of the sea — it though the smallest in the world, but rough and holds leadership in the number of the courts which are annually going to a bottom.

However, the tragic outcome at a meeting with frontier guards can always be avoided — enough to pay money. However, the payoff size, according to unofficial data, occasionally exceeds ten thousand dollars for which in any Ukrainian village of Priazovye it is possible to purchase the house easily. But some agree and redeem the relatives whom Russians hold in the territory.

As confirmation of that how Russian frontier guards are not too soft on violators, the businessman from the village of Bezymennoye Vasily Kovalenko posted on the Internet video on which the pursuit of poachers is imprinted.

"I remembered your number, I will press next time" — the captain of the Russian boat promises poachers.

In August, 2013 in Ukraine perturbation around an incident on the Sea of Azov where on July 17, 2013 the boat of the Border service of Russia collided the Ukrainian launch does not abate. At the same time four fishermen who, according to the Russian side, traded in poaching died, one more managed to be saved. Abstracting from a question who is guilty of death of people (the survived fisherman claims that Russians consciously went on a ram, frontier guards say that the launch sank because of own maneuvers), it is necessary to notice that in this case both in Kiev, and in Moscow behind trees do not see the wood. A special case even if with the human victims, cannot cover obvious threat: because of poachers and uncontrolled catch of fish in general the Sea of Azov can lose the fish stocks quicker, than the most inveterate pessimists think. However, fans of illegal fishing are only one of the reasons of impoverishment of the sea.

Ukrainians claim that the fishermen sunk in July, 2013 were not poachers. The question is this disputable. In Kerch and adjacent villages, for example, old, experienced, still the Soviet tempering fishermen extremely disapprovingly speak of trade of fish in the summer. Fall and spring — here a fishing season, they claim. In the summer fish only acquires fat. And one case — to catch for itself, another — to put out to sea with networks and trawls. "The Ukrainian fishermen who faced in the Sea of Azov the boundary boat of the Russian Federation unambiguously were poachers as now in general it is impossible to fish" — professor of the Azov sea institute of the Odessa national sea academy Yury Makogon told REGNUM news Agency. According to him, private fishing in large scales which was impossible in Soviet period is practically not regulated today^[1].

Sea as place of beach vacation

From lips of fans of sea rest it is often possible to hear scornful responses about the Sea of Azov as about "swamp" supposedly small it and smelly.

See Also

Ukraine

Notes