Drastic drop of Caspian Sea level leads to fish stocks decrease in Dagestan rivers

The drastic drop in the level of the Caspian Sea has led to a decrease in the number of freshwater fish species in Dagestan. They become deprived of natural places for their spawning in coastal bays, Ruslan Barkhalov, a specialist at the Caspian Institute for Biological Resources of Dagestan Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, says.

By way of illustration, Barkhalov told about the current situation in the Kizlyar Bay. The Bay began to dry up due to the drop in the level of the Caspian Sea. As to the scientist, the semi- anadromous (they rise a short distance along the river) and anadromous (rise to the source of the river) fish species can no longer spawn.

The scientist specified that a decrease in the number of almost all types of fish, except for marine ones, is recorded in the republic. The reduction of river flow also plays a negative role in this process, from where certain volumes of water are directed to the needs of irrigation.