A survey on the population of cetaceans in the Black Sea is underway for the second time this year. The survey along the southern Black Sea coast is coming to an end. A cetacean survey will take place along the northern seacoast in August, if the weather conditions are favourable. The surveys take place at a depth of nearly 100 meters.

“This year we can say that Black Sea harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena relicta) are the most numerous species of cetaceans while the population of the other two species- Black Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus ponticus) and Black Sea common dolphins (Delphinus delphis ponticus) is lower”, the head of the project Dimitar Popov said in an interview for the BNR-Varna. – There is ample evidence that the sonars used by naval vessels impacts marine species, especially cetaceans. They confuse them and disrupt communication between them. Several sonars working at a time have a particularly negative impact on these species.”

According to Dimitar Popov, it is hard to say how noticeable the change of the population of these mammals is.

“We are yet to see the effects of noise pollution in the Black Sea and the acoustic traumas on cetaceans”, the expert pointed out and added that dolphins

are at the top of the Black Sea food pyramid and the state of the entire ecosystem depends on them.