Scientists of the Marine Mammal Laboratory of the Shirshov Institute delivered an online lecture on results of the three-year-long research of Black Sea dolphins carried out with the support of Rosneft Oil Company.

Support for the project to study and monitor marine mammals of the Black Sea is part of Rosneft’s large-scale environmental programme. The project is implemented by the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In September 2018, the first sea expedition took place. Full-fledged studies of the dolphins’ habitat have not been conducted since the 1980s.

Protection of the environment is an integral part of the Company’s corporate culture. The Company is doing its utmost to ensure environmental protection, preservation, and restoration of natural resources.

The project included two large-scale marine expeditions along the while Krasnodar Territory coastline, each 1000 km long. First time after a 30-year hiatus scientists carried out a large-scale aerial record of the Black Sea cetaceans that covered North-Eastern part of the Black Sea, coastal surveys and a wide range of laboratory tests.

Apart from that, the automated photo record of the Black Sea cetaceans was used for the first time.

The marine expeditions resulted in the construction of a schematic map of seasonal distribution of cetaceans. The most numerous species found throughout the waters was common dolphin. Bottlenose dolphins were commonly found in 12-mile area and Black Sea porpoises were registered everywhere but much less than other species.

The number of cetaceans in the research area, according to preliminary estimates, reaches approximately 17,000. This includes over 12,000 of common dolphins, approximately 4,000 bottlenose dolphins and a little over 1,500 Black Sea porpoises.

Scientists of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences continue carrying out laboratory tests of biological samples including toxicology, virus, genetic and other tests.

The lecture video record is planned to be placed in Black Sea Dolphins section of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and on social networks profile of the Institute.

Rosneft
Information Division
August 21, 2020

Keywords: Environmental News 2020