Featured Image Credit: Pavel Erokhin
By: Sarah Sharkey
Caspian seals are on the decline. As their name suggests, they are only found in the Caspian Sea. In fact, they are actually the only marine mammals that make their home in the Caspian Sea.
Back in the 1990s, the population of these adorable animals stood at around one million animals, but by 2012 there were less than 100,000 left. The population continues to decline. Some of the factors contributing to their demise include poaching by littoral countries and being a part of the bycatch in Iran.
The deputy head of the department of environment for marine affairs, Parvin Farshchi, is claiming that without an international effort and improved cooperation these animals will likely perish. She is mostly talking about the countries that border the Caspian Sea, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
Recently, the Caspian seal was included in Appendices I and II of the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. This is a meeting administered by the UN, the fact that these seals were in the discussion was a big step. Hopefully, in the future, these seals will be protected and allowed to live in peace.
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