"The phenomenon we encountered is not unique": the governor of Kamchatka talks about the "red tides" and the ecology of the region

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- Thank you too.

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- What is happening in Kamchatka since mid-September this year can be described in different words.

People call it a disaster, a disaster, or just a phenomenon.

Nevertheless, we can say with confidence that the scale of this phenomenon is, of course, impressive.

A significant part of our coastline has faced massive death of aquatic organisms.

In addition, about twenty people were injured.

They became ill after contact with ocean water.

So what is happening is very serious, and we are very grateful for the deep concern expressed by the scientific community and environmental activists around the world.

They want to know exactly what happened, what the causes and consequences of this natural phenomenon, or ecological disaster, if you like, may be.

- As far as I understand, now the main reason for what happened is called "red tides", right?

- Quite right.

Now we can say with confidence that aquatic organisms (marine life. -

) died because of the "red tides", because of algae, microorganisms that appeared in very large quantities in our waters.

However, we still do not know what caused these "red tides".

In the past years, we have not encountered them on such a scale.

Yes, this sometimes happens in some bays of Kamchatka, but in the last 10-15 years we have not faced such a massive death of marine life.

- About a week ago in one of your interviews you mentioned the "red tides", saying that initially you did not take this version seriously.

What happened during these seven days that you completely changed your point of view?

- I am not a scientist or a biologist.

As an ordinary resident of Kamchatka and for the first time hearing that these microorganisms could cause such a massive death of marine life, I thought it was like some kind of joke.

When you hear that seaweed killed aquatic organisms, it seems somehow absurd.

However, we know very little about the ocean.

I am used to trusting serious scientists who now say that the phenomenon we are faced with is by no means unique and this has already happened.

Maybe not on such a scale, but still.

They explain in great detail the mechanisms that led to this state of affairs.

- We'll come back to the topic of international cooperation, but let's finish discussing the reasons first.

Is the "Red Tide" the only reason for the mass death of marine life in Kamchatka, which is currently being considered?

Or are you considering other factors here as well?

- We consider all the facts.

In general, of course, we - and by saying “we”, I mean people in general - cause serious environmental damage to nature.

There are a number of technological factors that can affect nature.

They are not so important here, because, I remind you, we are now seeing the death of aquatic organisms on the ocean coast for several hundred kilometers.

Such an impact could not have had any man-made cause.

Nevertheless, I want to say that we must do everything in our power to make Kamchatka wonderful, clean, and the most environmentally responsible

and a safe place on the planet.

So it doesn't matter what was the reason here, in any case, we will begin to implement a comprehensive program to improve our ecology.

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- Our answer is very simple - it is complete openness and transparency.

We are glad to everyone who is concerned about the ecological situation in Kamchatka, who wants to investigate all the facts and all the analytical data we have.

That is why we publish every day on our official website all the results concerning the examination of hundreds of samples taken.

We also invite all environmental protection organizations - regardless of whether they are Russian or foreign NGOs - to participate.

I am glad to everyone who wants to participate in this investigation.

In addition, I wrote several letters to our foreign colleagues - researchers and scientists at the best foreign universities, in Tokyo, Beijing, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, at the California Institute of Technology.

- Did they answer you?

- Yes, we are already discussing with them.

So far, this is not an official collaboration, but I saw an interview with a lead researcher at California Institute of Technology.

He described his vision of the phenomenon on the coast of Kamchatka.

- And what is his vision?

- He agrees that the reason is natural.

He agrees that this is the algae.

He collaborates with researchers from the Far Eastern Federal University who worked here during expeditions and are now continuing their investigation in their laboratories in Vladivostok.

I believe that we should organize an international conference to discuss the results and possible responses.

“A very good idea, Governor.

Will you invite specialists to Kamchatka, or will the work be carried out remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic?

- I turned to the Russian government with a request to determine the composition of the scientific commission, which will be responsible for further investigation from a scientific point of view, because I myself, I remind you, is not a researcher, not a researcher or an expert in the biology of the Pacific Ocean.

Hopefully this week a scientific committee will be appointed and tasked with continuing the on-site investigation and organizing this conference.

Of course, because of COVID-19, the situation in our country has become more complicated, so at the initial stage, the work will be carried out, perhaps, in a remote format, but in the future I will be glad to receive researchers who will come directly here to find out what is happening with our ecology.

- Red tides are truly a global phenomenon: we have observed a similar thing in the USA, Mexico, Chile.

I understand that there are not many details yet, but maybe there is still some preliminary explanation for what happened?

Why did this happen in Kamchatka and why now?

- Firstly, you are absolutely right: this happens not only in our country, and we have observed similar things all over the world.

Secondly, this is not the first case in Kamchatka.

In the 1970s, even people died because of the "red tides" - after eating seafood poisoned by these same "red tides".

The toxicity level is now less severe.

Thus, it can be noted that in this area of ​​the Pacific Ocean this happens from time to time.

Scientists don't know why it happened right now.

Yes, this year's summer was very warm, and climate change could affect certain processes in the ocean.

Another hypothesis is that the harm that man is doing to the ocean on a global scale has become too great and the ocean thus says to us, humans: “Enough!

Stop, you have to change something in your way of acting. "

Personally, I am absolutely sure that this phenomenon is connected, among other things, with anthropogenic factors and we should ask ourselves the question: “What needs to be changed in order to prevent the recurrence of such serious“ red tides ”and such massive death of aquatic organisms in the future.

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- First of all, I would suggest introducing comprehensive monitoring of marine ecology.

Today there are dozens of organizations and institutes that research and analyze the air and marine environment, but there is no universal platform or single center for people interested in this information.

And even more importantly, create an interface for those who want to participate here, share their images and videos with geolocation marks, so that researchers can form a comprehensive understanding of the situation as quickly as possible.

So, I consider it a top priority to introduce such a comprehensive monitoring in the field of ecology.

Second, it is necessary to carry out a very thorough work with regard to the damage that has been caused to the environment in the past and which still makes itself felt in our region (this is what concerns Kamchatka).

The third challenge is to change our thinking about the environment.

Our behavior should be more responsible.

It is necessary to reduce the use of plastic, leave less waste, and promote environmental friendliness.

You are absolutely right that you cannot change behavior in one day, but you need to start right now, because otherwise the consequences can be very serious.

What is happening now with the environment in Kamchatka is just a separate example of the global damage that can take place if we do not change our behavior.

- How will this whole situation affect the region as a whole?

In terms of tourism, for example.

Because your region is certainly one of the most picturesque in Russia.

- You are absolutely right, Kamchatka is the pearl of Russia and the whole world.

Our nature is unique, very beautiful.

A person here clearly feels his closeness with her.

In Kamchatka, you feel that you are a part of nature, and not something separate from it.

This is a very important feeling.

And I am quite confident that in the future Kamchatka will play a key role in changing our view of the environment.

It seems to me that what is happening now will help us move even faster and work even harder to make Kamchatka not only a place that everyone wants to visit to see our mountains and our wildlife, but also an example of responsible, whole society.

So that we can say that we are setting an example of this kind of ecological thinking so that we can share it with the whole world.

- Mr. Governor, as far as I know, you are not from Kamchatka.

But now you speak with such love, with such warmth.

When did you fall in love with Kamchatka at all?

- It happened a few years ago.

I am originally from Moscow.

My wife and I spent a vacation in Kamchatka, enjoying the views of the wild.

And I was absolutely ... you said well, I fell in love with this beautiful area.

But I couldn't even imagine that I would come here as governor and become responsible for the development of this unique region.

I have been living in Kamchatka for six months, together with my family.

Honestly, I am very pleased that my little son, my wife, we live here, and not in Moscow with its ecology, its stressful life, its air, water and other elements that affect our lives.

- Well, thank you very much - from Moscow.

We envy you very much.

- We are always glad to see you.

Come to Kamchatka to enjoy our quality of life.

And this is not only what is created by man, but also what is created by God, our nature.

- When you first saw Kamchatka and when you came there to work and live ... how has your attitude towards it changed over these six months?

How has your vision and understanding of Kamchatka changed?

With regard to the problems and challenges facing the region.

After all, the tourist usually does not see this.

- Quite right.

Being here, living here, you understand how many difficulties you have to deal with in order to achieve the desired goals.

I have a goal - to make Kamchatka a global point of attraction for those who are concerned about environmental issues.

But at the moment, to achieve this goal, we still have a very long way to go.

And only here, being at the scene of events, one can understand how many problems local residents have to solve in everyday life.

And despite all this, they are proud of their land and love it.

This is perhaps the main success factor.

People do not live here in very easy conditions (life in Kamchatka is not easy), but, I repeat, they still love Kamchatka and are proud of it.

And I am sure that together we will be able to turn Kamchatka into a Mecca of ecological tourism, to the very point where humanity will begin to move to a different way of thinking.

- Again, a great idea, Mr. Governor.

Let's return now to the catastrophe that Kamchatka is facing now.

As far as I remember, the first signals you received were from surfers, you were already familiar with some of them, which is why you paid attention to the tag in social networks.

If I am not mistaken, it happened on September 29, about a week after your official inauguration as governor of the Kamchatka Territory.

What exactly happened next, what were the next steps?

And what reasons were considered as possible?

- You are absolutely right.

But first of all, I want to note that the surfer community here in Kamchatka is very interesting.

We have the best surfing spot in Russia.

To practice this very interesting and popular sport, many people flock here, to our magnificent nature.

Almost every month we contact [surfers], discuss with them the development of our beach and how to make it even more attractive for tourists and fans of this active sport.

And on September 29, having received a message from them through my Instagram profile, I reacted immediately and asked the experts in charge of these issues for an analysis of the water quality - on the same day.

And after that, every day we did hundreds of analyzes, conducted hundreds of checks to determine which substance led to the poisoning, what caused the intoxication.

After all, let me remind you that about twenty surfers and guests [of our region] fell ill: they had eye problems, as well as general ...

- Malaise.

- Yes, the malaise that people had for about a week.

After that, we began to find dead marine life on our beaches - in larger numbers than usual.

It was clear that something was happening.

Surprisingly, we could not identify the substance that caused the poisoning.

We tried again and again, checked all our potentially hazardous technological facilities near the ocean coast, but found nothing.

At that time, the public feared that we were simply acting too closed, that we had discovered something, something very dangerous and did not want to talk about it.

So, I want to make it clear: we did our job in a completely transparent and open manner.

At that stage, I proposed everyone to join our work in order to unite everyone who is interested in the current phenomenon, to research the issue, travel on ships, dive deep into the ocean, video recording and photographing the entire coast.

And in about five or six days, scientists came to talk about a natural cause, and now this is the main version.

Like this.

- Yes, as far as I remember, the results of sample analyzes were (and still are) in the free, open access.

Did you feel any pressure about this problem or was there some other reason that led to the creation of such a database?

- No, no, not at all.

When I felt that something really serious was happening and that there were a very large number of activists who wanted to know exactly what was happening in Kamchatka, I simply made the whole process transparent.

Every day I recorded videos in which I told people how the situation was here.

The fact is that, being in Moscow (which is nine hours of time difference and eight hours of flight), it is difficult to understand what the Khalaktyrsky beach and the different bays are, where exactly this mass of aquatic organisms was taken.

And here, of course, everything is somewhat confused and exaggerated, because of fears, quite natural fears, I must say.

We, humans, are always afraid that the authorities are hiding something from us, that they are doing everything secretly ... And in this regard, we have created such an open community - for those who are involved in the study of this phenomenon.

And I think this is a very good example of creating such an open, transparent community for everyone who is interested here.

And, I must say, I don't know a single person who would be interested in something else here, except for understanding and thorough study of the phenomenon that is taking place.             

- A few days ago, a new mass of dead marine life was discovered near Kamchatka.

You made a post about it in social networks.

According to you, the scale of the incident is extremely large.

Please tell us more.

Is this happening again and may soon happen again?   

- We still have to investigate the real scale of the current death of aquatic organisms, but we can say with confidence that now the area is covered from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and a little to the north, about fifty kilometers, and to the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The entire surface, about four hundred kilometers long, when viewed from a bird's eye view, is affected by this phenomenon - the "red tide".

On some other stretches of the Pacific coast, we see evidence that something is happening there, too, but here's what it is - we have yet to figure it out.

Indeed, in order to establish this, you need to go deep into the ocean, dive there and count the number of marine life at different depths.

This is a complex investigation.

It should also be borne in mind that the Pacific coast of Kamchatka is a very sparsely populated area.

That is why the main attention and the main investigation is concentrated around Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which is easily accessible for water and other transport.

- Mr. Governor, thank you very much for your time.

We are very grateful to you.

I wish you the best in your efforts to save nature and preserve Kamchatka.

I wish your region a quick recovery.

Thank you very much.

- And thank you.

Including for the fact that you are worried and interested in what is happening [in our region].

I am sure that we will achieve a better life in Kamchatka and on our planet as a whole.

Watch the interview with the governor of Kamchatka at RTD.