2.500 dead seals found on Russia's Caspian coast - ABC News

MOSCOW -- About 2,500 seals person been recovered dormant connected the Caspian Sea seashore successful confederate Russia, officials said Sunday.

Authorities successful the Russian state of Dagestan said it was unclear wherefore the wide die-off happened but that it was apt owed to earthy causes.

Regional officials initially reported Saturday that 700 dormant seals were recovered connected the coast, but the Dagestan part of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment aboriginal raised the fig to astir 2,500.

Zaur Gapizov, caput of the Caspian Environmental Protection Center, said successful a connection that the seals apt died a mates of weeks ago. He added that determination was nary motion that they were killed oregon caught successful sportfishing nets.

Experts of the Federal Fisheries Agency and prosecutors inspected the coastline and collected information for laboratory research, which didn't instantly spot immoderate pollutants.

Several erstwhile incidents of wide seal deaths were attributed to earthy causes. Kazakhstan, which has a agelong Caspian coastline, reported astatine slightest 3 specified incidents this year.

Data astir the fig of seals successful the Caspian alteration widely. The fisheries bureau has said the wide fig of Caspian seals is 270,000-300,000, portion the Caspian Environmental Protection Center enactment the fig astatine 70,000.