Stanislav Saksonov, a specialist at the Institute of Ecology of the Volga Basin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told KP.En about the consequences of fish starvation in the Volga River in the summer of 2021.
This summer, environmentalists and public activists celebrated mass fish starvation in the Volga River. Meteorologists confirm that it seems that there has never been such a large volume of dead fish during the entire observation period. As experts explain, with abnormal heat – and the temperature in the regions where the Volga flows was kept above 35 degrees for several weeks, and sometimes the thermometer was approaching 40 degrees – the fish does not have enough oxygen. It is” devoured ” by millions of tons of blue-green algae. These plants bloom profusely in warm water contaminated with phosphorus and nitrogen compounds. The latter fall into the water-first of all, from domestic wastewater.
At the same time, the ecologist notes that it is not possible to find the person responsible for the overfishing of fish. The reason is due to a combination of technogenic factors: pollution of the Volga River, the lack of modern treatment facilities that are still being built. And the high temperatures served as a catalyst.
– Of course, this will have long-delayed consequences, – Stanislav Saksonov believes. – The systems will try to level out, fill the void, but for at least five years we will feel a certain “demographic failure”. Only after this time it will be possible to assess what and how filled the “pit”. Such a disaster cannot pass without consequences at all. Of course, all living beings suffer. all the inhabitants of the ecosystem. It should be understood that most of the dead living creatures are not even thrown ashore, but lie on the bottom, contributing to silting of the riverbed, shallowing of the river-and further problems. All these issues need to be addressed comprehensively. We see how the fish is dying, but also the bottom plants and inhabitants of reservoirs are dying, the bird that has lost its food base is suffering. And fish, which is then eaten by birds and mammals, can become a source of infection. And then it will spread throughout the entire habitat of the species.
Experts say that the most effective way to combat algae is to collect them from the surface and clear riverbeds of silt. Note that the options for fighting, for example, with the help of other algae-chlorella-have shown their ineffectiveness in the Volga. Environmentalists also doubt the way to solve the problem with the help of herbivorous fish – this may even lead to an even greater growth of blue-green ones.
