------Program code: NS-080516-03956 (what's this?)

Source: CCTV.com

05-16-2008 11:43

Watch Video:Part 2 >>

Ten years ago Earth Report made a film about the Black Sea. We found a region on the brink of ecological collapse. The pathetic sight of a solitary sea lion in the ruins of a dolphinarium in Georgia became a symbol of a devastated marine environment. It was described, at the time, as a catastrophe by marine biologist Laurence Mee:

The Black Sea at Istanbul

Laurence Mee: The Black Sea is really facing an environmental catastrophe. It’s very unusual for scientists to use the word catastrophe. The word is not used lightly.

The film prompted widespread concern and over the last decade there has been a concerted, international, effort to improve things. Recently we returned to see how the situation had changed. This is what we found.

Along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast there’s considerable excitement. Marine species which until recently had all but vanished are reappearing.

Borys Aleksandrov: In the last 10 years we have registered species that we haven’t seen for over twenty years... They’d vanished. Now for the first time they are reappearing.

Biologists have found three species of crab they haven’t seen for thirty years …The once rare sea horses are now much more abundant. And most welcome of all, the economically important Black Sea turbot - until recently an endangered species - is back on sale in markets. Across the region it’s the same story. All six countries surrounding the Black Sea report improvements in fish catches and bio-diversity. The biggest fishing fleet is based in Turkey.

Ahmet Kideys: This fish wasn’t much seen in the past. But this year we can see lots of it… it’s the giant form of horse mackerel... it had disappeared but now it’s back again. That’s the Bonito… That’s the fish that has become very abundant in the last two years. Fishermen doesn’t know why. Fifty years ago they used to catch lots of it, then during recent decades it almost disappeared. Now, again we have been seeing lots of this precious fish.