Caspian Sea >> Biodiversity >> Animals of the Caspian Sea
The important feature of the Caspian region is its extreme variety of biotopes
as well as its variety of biotic and abiotic conditions. However the majority of
the endemic flora and fauna are poor competitors with introduced species and are
often outcompeted.
Present day fauna and flora of the Caspian Sea are
thought to be a combination of species from different origins: those of Caspian
sea origin, others of Arctic Ocean origin, some of Atlantic and Mediterranean
origin and even some of fresh water origin.
The biodiversity of the Caspian Sea is 2.5 times
poorer than the biodiversity of the Black sea, and 5 times poorer than in the
Barents Sea. The main reason may be the variable salinity. For fresh water fauna
and flora the salinity levels of the Caspian Sea is too high, and for marine
species the salinity is too low. Thus, the modern Caspian Sea is only suitable
for species adapted to slightly saline waters. Despite these particular salinity
conditions, the Caspian Sea is home to 87 species of microphytes and many
species of green algae.
In the Caspian Sea the greatest variety is within
fish and crustaceous species. These organisms, due to their very good
osmoregulatory abilities, are capable of living in a very wide range of
salinities ranging from fresh water up to salt concentrations even higher than
those found in the ocean (Zenkevich, 1963). In the past, species with poor
osmoregulation mechanisms died out because of changes in salinity. Thus, the
modern biodiversity of the Caspian Sea has been 'selected' by thousands of years
of de-salting and salinization processes.
The first good report about flora and fauna of the
Caspian Sea was published in 1963 by L. Zinkevich. This report included a great
quantity of data published in 1951 by A.Derzhavin. According to these two
authors there are 718 species in the Caspian Sea: 62 species of protozoa, 397
invertebrates, 79 vertebrates and 170 species of parasitic organisms. Excluding
the Protozoa and parasitic organisms, A. Derzhavin and L. Zenkevich defined 476
species of freely living Metazoa, of which 46 % are endemic to the Caspian Sea,
66 % also live in the neighboring southern seas, 4.4 % are of Atlantic and
Mediterranean origin and 3% are of Arctic Ocean origin.
Furthermore, there are 315 species and sub-species
of zooplankton that can be found in the Caspian sea, the majority of which are
indigenous. (Kasymov, 1987) Out of the 315 species of zooplankton, 135 species
are infusorians (Agamaliev, Bagirov,1975).
Due to the Caspian Sea’s division from other oceans
thousands of years ago is has developed distinctive species of ichthyofauna
endemic to the Caspian Sea.
The Caspian Seal (Phoca caspica), is the
smallest existing varieties of seal. The Caspian seal is endemic to the region
as well as being the only mammal to live in the Caspian Sea. It lives throughout
the sea, occasionally going into deltas of the rivers of Volga and Ural
(Badamshin, 1966, 1969). High numbers of these seals can be observed during the
autumn period (October - November) on shell-composed islands in the eastern part
of the Northern Caspian and on sandy spits of the Southern Caspian (Krylov,
1982, 1986). However, the largest numbers of the Caspian Seals have been
observed during wintertime in icy areas of the Northern Caspian throughout the
reproduction and molting seasons (Mammals of Kazakhstan, 1981). In 1993 the
Caspian Seal was classified as a vulnerable specie and was included into the Red
List of MUPN (International Union for Protection of Nature). The population size
of the Caspian Seal has decreased approximately from 1.5 million heads by the
beginning of 20-th century down to 360-400 thousand heads by the end of the
eighties (Krylov, 1989).
There are many introduced species in the Volga River
originating from the Caspian Sea. According to Birshtein, there are 44 species
of invertebrates, including: 1 specie of Isopoda, 26 species of
Amphipoda, 10 species of Cumacea, 6 species of Mysidacea, 1
specie of Decapoda and 18 species of fish which have penetrated into the
Volga River from the Caspian Sea. The most commonly introduced species from the
Caspian Sea into fresh water bodies are Cordylophora caspia, Polypodium
hydriforme, Dreissena polymorpha, Hypania invalida, H. kovalewskyi, as well
as species from the genera Theodoxus and Melanopsis. Both
Cordylophora caspia and Victorella pavida have spread throughout
the world and can be found living in coastal waters of Northern and Southern
America, China, Australia and New Zealand.
Some species originating from the Caspian Sea have
also been introduced into the Baltic Sea. For example species of goby fish as
well as some water fleas (Cladocera) from the genera Cercopag.
Other species such as the seahorse (Mysidae), get transported in
fresh water tanks and found their way to the Baltic Sea. Cercopagis pengoi
are crustaceans that have been found colonizing areas as far away as
Lake Ontario.
During the 19th Century, 'zebra mussels'
(Dreissena polymorpha) were introduced into Europe and later to
the Americas. These introduced species can cause ecological imbalances within
the new ecosystem which may lead to further environmental problems.
The full range of flora and fauna within the Caspian
Sea has still to be fully documented. The Caspian sea is believed to be home to
many undiscovered species.
2.1 Species of commercial value
The natural resources of the Caspian Sea are of high
economic value. Many species of species of fish, crustaceans, shrimp, as well as
some aquatic birds and the Caspian seal are hunted for their commercial
value.
Fish
Fisheries are very important industries throughout
the Caspian countries. 500-600 thousand tons of fish are extracted
annually from the Sea, the majority of which include species such as the beluga
(Huso huso), sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), as well as
migrating marine herring species, zander (Stizostedion), sazan
(Cyprinus carpio carpio), bream (Abramis), cat fish (Silurus
glanis) and the Caspian roach (Rutilus). However, by the end of the
1950s, anthropogenic interference had lead to a severe decline in fish numbers.
Large hydro-engineering constructions as well as redistribution of water for
irrigation caused changes within the natural hydrological cycle. Pollution also
led to the deterioration of natural habitats, without which the fish were unable
to reproduce efficiently.
Some of the most commercially valuable transboundary
fish species of the Caspian Sea include sturgeon (5 species) and sprat (3
species). Species of Goby are widespread throughout the Caspian Sea and form an
important link in the food chain as food for predatory fishes.
Sturgeon is by far the most commercially valuable
fish. It is fished for its meat as well as for caviar which is in great demand
throughout the world market. As a result, the sturgeon is subjected to a lot of
illegal poaching. The most commonly fished species are the Russian and Persian
sturgeon (Acipenser persicus), beluga (Huso huso) and the sevruga
(Acipenser stellatus). The ship (Acipenser nudiventris) fish
specie population is declining, and is presently only fished in Kazakhstan. The
Kura river, was previously used by as its spawning grounds however, more
recently the stock has decreased and fishing in this river has lost commercial
importance. In Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan the ship sturgeon is included in the
Red Book. The Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenis) is a fresh water fish and
lives only in the Volga River.
Up until the 1960s cod was a considerable commercial
resource. However, near the end of the 1900’s the stock was radically reduced.
It was not until a few years ago that the stocks began to be replenished.
Herring (or shad) is another commercially important
specie. In particular the blackback shad (Alosa kessleri kessleri),
dolginka shad (Alosa brashnikovi brashnikovi), Caspian shad (Alosa
caspia caspia). The fishing of shad is carried out in the Volga delta (in
particular of the blackback shad) as well as near Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and
along the Iranian coast.
A number of salmon species can be found in the
Caspian Sea and used for commercial purposes. These species migrate to the
southwestern coasts in order to feed and remain in waters of 40-50 meters in
depth. However, recently the salmon population has decreased significantly due
to poaching. As a result, Caspian salmon has been included into the Red Book of
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia.
The population size of the white fish, which is
considered to be of commercially importance, has recently plummeted due to
over-fishing. Presently it is only fished along the Volga River, even though the
population continues to decrease. In the Caspian Sea, white fish are only caught
for monitoring purposes. White fish is included into the Red Book of the
majority of the Caspian states.
In the southern regions of the Caspian Sea, shoals
of kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) can be split into western and southern
‘herds’. In the Northern regions, kutum has become very rare, therefore Russia
and Kazakhstan have included it into their Red Books.
The Asp (carp family) is another specie found in the
Caspian Sea. It is a widely spread predatory specie and can be fished throughout
the sea.
During the nineties, the number of sturgeon (beluga,
ship and sevruga), salmon, white fish (Coregonus albula), khramulya
(Varicorhinus), as well as many other species decreased due to a large
amount of uncontrollable illegal fishing. Another factor effecting the number of
fish was the decrease in release of young fish from artificial breeding
centres.
In Turkmenistan, 2 species of crustaceous (the
thick-foot and long-foot crabs) have recently been found to be an effective
alternative to fish poaching as their catch volume may reach up to 50 thousand
tons a year. However, present catch levels do not exceed 3-5 tons per year. At
the present time these crabs are fished for in the Kara-Bogaz-Goll area.
Mammals
The only mammal to live in the Caspian Sea is the
seal. Seal hunting has a long-lived history stretching back 2 to 3 centuries. It
was not until the 20th century that the number of seals caught increased to
hundreds of thousands of individuals. As a result, research throughout the past
10 years, has shown that the Caspian seal population has been decreasing.
Between 1986 to 1995, the seal population was reduced by approximately 20%.
Furthermore, in 2000, the Caspian seals suffered from an epidemic of dog
distemper, which began in the Northeast and spread across the sea.
Previously, seal hunting was carried out according
to a set of quotas and only during the winter months as seals can easily be seen
floating on ice blocks. However, in 1997, seal hunting was declared illegal by
all countries except Russia. In 1998, Russia also declared seal hunting to be
illegal.
Common coastal dealing mammals include the brown
hare (Lepus europaeus), wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), coypu
(Myocastor coypus), forest dormouse (Dyomys nitedula), wolf
(Canis lupus), jackal (Canis aureus), fox (Vulpes vulpes),
raccoon (Procyon lotor), weasel (Mustela nivalis), stone marten
(Martes), badger (Meles meles), otter (lutra lutra), reed
cat (Felis chaus), steppe cat (Felis libyca) and djeiran
(Gasella subgutturosa). These mammals are of major economical value as
well as being an important source of food for humans.
The most common ungulate along the Caspian coastline
is the wild boar (Sus scrofa). These animals are subjected to sport
hunting as well as being of commercial importance.
The jackal (Canis aureus) is the most
widespread specie of mammal along the Caspian coast. Large numbers of jackal are
to be found in the Lenkoran and Samur-Divichensky regions (Azerbaijan). They can
be found mainly in lowlands and in dense thickets along river or sea banks.
Jackal fur, although not of great aesthetic value, is of good commercial value
particularly to the Kazakhs as they are much warmer and lighter than sheep skin.
The fox is the most commonly hunted animal for its
fur. It is also a beneficial animal within the environment as it controls the
rodent population. (Novikov, 1965; Gidayatov, 1967). The lynx (Felis
lynx), otter, steppe cat, red cat, marten and weasel (Mustela
nivalis) are also hunted for their fur. Otter fur is considered to be quite
valuable. That of the red cat is of little value and can be produced only in
very small quantities. Fur from the Lynx is the most valuable. However, it can
only be produced in small quantities. The weasel is found throughout the Caspian
region. The fur of which is not considered to be of any value. The Weasel plays
a positive role within the environment by predating on rodents. The largest
predator along the Caspian coast is the wolf, which spans the entire
coastline.
The coypu is a valuable commercial mammal belonging
to the rodent family. It is a source of meat as well as valuable fur. Its fur
has dense sub-fur layer and is therefore quite water resistant which enables
this animal to stay under water for long periods at a time.
The corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) and steppe
cats (Felis libyca) can be found along the Caspian coastline in
Kazakhstan and are also hunted for their fur and meat. Another important specie
of commercial value in Kazakhstan is the saigak antelope (Saiga
tatarika). Two populations of saigak exist, those belonging to Ust-Yurt
population and those belonging to the Volga-Ural populations. The size of saigak
population in the recent decade has been maintained at 250-275 thousand.
Birds
Hunting of aquatic and water associated birds is a
common sport throughout the Caspian states. They are hunted for their meat as
well as for their feathers. Duck species are the most commonly hunted throughout
the Caspian states.
The coast of Azerbaijan is an important region for
migratory birds, in particular for the grey goose (Anser anser),
ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), whistling teal (Anas crecca),
grey duck (Anas superciliosa), red-wing (Turdus iliacus) and many
more. Hunting is allowed throughout this region.
In Turkmenistan, the main hunting areas are along
the central part of the coastline, called the Krasnovodsk gulf. 40% of the total
bird poaching is thought to take place in areas surrounding the Krasnovodsk city
within the gulf region.
©2009 CaspEcoProject Management and Coordination Unit
7-th floor, Kazhydromet Building, Orynbor st., Astana, 010000, Republic of Kazakhstan,
Tel. No.: (+7 7172) 798317; 798318; 798320, 798307, E-Mail: MSGP.MEG@undp.org
