Stocks of migratory and semi-migratory fish in the Sea of Azov have fallen to a historic low. Species such as zander, bream and sabrefish are on the verge of disappearance.
This is reported by pro-Russian outlets citing the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“A real problem has become the invasion of jellyfish. They not only interfere with fishermen and tourists, but also deprive other sea inhabitants of their food base,” – the post says.
Among the reasons for this the Russians name “excessive fishing in the last century, low water levels, the construction of a water pipeline to the Donbas”.
Earlier the occupiers reported that fishermen in 2025 allegedly caught 54 thousand tonnes of aquatic biological resources in the Azov and Black Seas. This is the highest figure in the last four years.
In May 2024 the occupying authorities acknowledged that the Sea of Azov is unsuitable for swimming due to an increase in plankton and jellyfish.
The Ukrainian authorities reported about the threat of the Sea of Azov dying out as early as May 2022. One of the reasons for this is the Russian bombing of “Azovstal”.
In February 2025 the occupiers stated that they had allegedly developed a project to protect the beaches of the Sea of Azov from jellyfish.