Based on the results of the first comprehensive study of the Black Sea dolphins in thirty years, implemented with the support of Rosneft Oil Company , prepared and published a popular scientific edition. This is said in the company’s message.
The main task of this project was to obtain up-to-date data on the peculiarities of the distribution of dolphins, their number, composition and level of pollutants, and the state of animal health. The information obtained during the expeditions makes it possible to assess the state of the sea ecosystem as a whole.
Research of the Black Sea dolphins was carried out by scientists from the Marine Mammals Laboratory of the P.P. Shirshov. The institute employees plan to transfer the popular science publication to federal and regional state bodies responsible for the conservation of marine mammals and ecosystems of the Black Sea – Ministry of Natural Resources RF, Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Natural Resources and other interested organizations.
As part of the project to study the Black Sea dolphins, two full-scale sea expeditions took place along the entire coast of the Krasnodar Territory, each about 1000 kilometers long, during which more than 2000 animals were recorded. In addition, for the first time a large-scale aerial survey of Black Sea cetaceans was carried out covering the northeastern part of the Black Sea, the coast was studied, and comprehensive laboratory studies were carried out.
Based on the results of the aviation survey, it was possible to identify and confirm zones of high and low concentration of cetaceans in the study area, to obtain estimates of their abundance and density. According to scientists, the number of Black Sea cetaceans in the study area was 15-20 thousand individuals.
For the first time for the Black Sea dolphins, a qualitative and quantitative description of their sound signals (whistles) is presented – a necessary basis for future acoustic monitoring.
Based on the collected data, recommendations have been developed for the study and conservation of Black Sea cetaceans as indicator species of the region’s ecological well-being.
Caring for the environment is one of the priorities of Rosneft. For 8 years the company has been implementing projects aimed at preserving and restoring natural resources, as well as studying representatives of the animal world, which are the most important bioindicators of the state of the environment. The company is also implementing a project for the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, which includes monitoring and researching key animal species: polar bears, walrus, ivory gulls and wild reindeer.