The consequences of the Russian attack on the port of Chornomorsk caused a mass death of marine organisms

Tens of thousands of hermit crabs died on the coast of Odesa region due to oil pollution caused by the Russian attack on the port of Chornomorsk in April.

Oil pollution caused by the Russian attack on the port of Chornomorsk in April led to a mass death of marine organisms on the coast of Odesa region. This was reported by ecologist Ivan Rusev.

During the inspection of the coastal zone, experts found traces of oil both in the water area and directly on the coast. Hermit crabs were the most affected – species that play an important role in maintaining the natural balance of the marine ecosystem.

According to preliminary estimates, tens of thousands of hermit crabs could have died within the coastal territory of the national park. Shells of mollusks are also washed ashore along with dead individuals covered in a layer of pollution.

Ecologists also report other consequences for aquatic organisms. Due to the decrease in oxygen levels in the water and chemical stress, some marine organisms change their behavior – they go into shallow water or hide in mollusk shells above the water line. This, according to experts, may indicate serious violations of the hydrochemical balance in the ecosystem.

Hermit crabs play a key role in the natural cleaning of the seabed: they consume organic residues, dead algae, dead fish and mollusks, and also loosen bottom sediments, contributing to the saturation of the water with oxygen. Their mass death may have long-term consequences for the ecological balance of the coast.

According to Ivan Rusev, at the end of April, an oil slick measuring about 400 by 200 meters was already recorded in the Black Sea, which was formed after a Russian drone hit a tank in the port of Chornomorsk.

Over time, the area of ​​contamination in the northwestern part of the sea increased significantly – from tens to hundreds of square kilometers. Satellite images then recorded the expansion of the spot and its movement towards Ochakiv and the Dnieper-Bug estuary.

Previously, USM wrote that water contamination after the attack on Chornomorsk reached the “Tuzly lymany.”