Ecological crisis in Caspian Sea threatens Caspian seal with extinction, Iranian official warns

The Caspian Sea is on the brink of a severe ecological crisis, with its sole endemic marine mammal—the Caspian seal—facing a heightened risk of extinction, according to Abbas Ashouri, head of the Marine Ecosystem Protection Department at the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Administration of Iran's Gilan Province.

Ashouri noted that the seal population is dwindling rapidly due to marine pollution, a shrinking food supply, and climate change. He emphasized that the environmental degradation extends beyond fauna, as falling sea levels and declining bioresources directly impact fisheries and tourism along Iran's northern coastline.

The situation is further complicated by inadequate municipal wastewater management. Several sewage treatment plant construction projects across Iran's northern provinces remain incomplete due to financing shortages. Ashouri warned that without immediate and strengthened conservation efforts, the ecological decline will yield severe economic and social ramifications across the region.