Deputies of the Kerch City Council have appealed to the presidents of Ukraine and Russia to address the situation caused by the construction of the Russian dam in the Kerch Strait and prevent this problem from developing into a political conflict. The deputies approved a petition to this effect on October 15. The document reads, in particular, that Kerch deputies and residents are seriously concerned about the situation in the vicinity of Tuzla Island. Citing scientists, the deputies stated that “the dam could have unforeseen ecological, ichthyological, and hydrological consequences.”
The journalists learned in more detail about the possible damage the dam can cause from the scientists of the Kerch-based Southern Research Institute of the Fish Industry and Oceanography. In particular, Industrial Oceanography Department Chief Borys Panov, candidate in geographical sciences, maintains that the construction of the dam is a harsh intrusion into the ecosystem of the Kerch Strait, whose stability depends primarily on water circulation between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. According to him, in the eighty years since the Tuzla Spit became an island as a result of erosion, a completely new ecosystem formed there, and the construction of the dam is a major intrusion into this ecosystem. “Changes in the water exchange between the seas will first of all change the pattern of water circulation,” said Panov, adding that walling in Taman Bay will in fact create in the Kerch Strait an enclosed reservoir the size of the open part of the Kerch Strait. “We predict that changes in the water circulation pattern in this area will lead to a significant accumulation of bottom sediment in Taman Bay, which will increase the speed of the current along the Crimean coastline. This could in turn cause increased erosion of the Crimean coast.” According to Panov, scientists predict that the dam will bring about the desalination of Taman Bay, which in turn will lead to the formation of a totally new biological environment and complicate ice conditions in the strait in winter. He also noted that the dam will increase the ebb and flow of water, the level of which determines the extent of erosion. According to him, while the present amplitude is about two meters, with the dam in place the amplitude will increase, thereby increasing the erosion of the Russian coastline. “We hope that these circumstances will draw attention to the situation in the Kerch Strait,” Panov noted.
Another research fellow with the Southern Institute, Candidate in Biological Sciences Oleksandr Chashchyn, stressed that Tuzla Island has been long used by fisheries, since the major industrial fish species migrate along the island. “With the dam in place, the industrial catch might fall to nothing, which will affect fisheries in this area,” he said. Under conditions of reduced water circulation between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, fish mortality will increase, Interfax-Ukraine quotes Chashchyn as saying. According to Chashchyn, before going ahead with the construction of the dam, the Russians should have sought expert advice and discussed all aspects of this problem with scientists. He believes that with the dam in place the migration conditions for some major industrial fish such as gray and red mullet will become extremely difficult. Chashchyn stressed that red mullet are now spawning in the vicinity of Tuzla, and thus far he cannot tell how this major industrial fish will behave under new conditions. According to Chashchyn, the dam might also affect the local mollusk population.
