16:37 - 7.11.2025

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November 7, Fineko/abc.az. A number of valuable and rare fish species have been discovered at the Karabakh site in the Caspian Sea (at depth of 150-200 m).

ABC.AZ informs, quoting BP-Azerbaijan’s spokesperson Ulvia Seyidmamedova during an online meeting to discuss the environmental impact assessment (EIA) document on the program of seismic research within the framework of the Karabakh Project.

She added that as a result of the research, two species of keels were registered - anchovy-like sprat and big-eyed sprat:

"These species spend the spawning period in the middle and southern parts of the Caspian Sea, passing through the territory of the block from April to August. Both species are listed as endangered on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)."

Seyidmamedova pointed out that another species of mullet, the sharp-nosed gray mullet, was identified during the research:

"This species spawns in the middle and southern parts of the Caspian Sea, passing through the Karabakh block in June-July".

According to Seyidmamedova, four species of deep-sea fish have also been found in the region - Benthophilus leptocephalus, Benthophilus leptorhynchus, Anatirostrum profundorum and Knipowitschia iljini: "All of them are endemic to the Caspian Sea and live mainly in the Karabakh region during the wintering period."

She emphasized that other fish species, such as sturgeon and herring, are distributed mainly in coastal areas.