After the war ends, an aerial survey of cetaceans should be carried out across the whole Black Sea, Greenpeace Bulgaria recommends. It would show how the war in Ukraine has affected their numbers.

The recommendation is in the report "Cetaceans in the Black Sea and the threats to them", which scientist Pavel Goldin wrote for the group. Three species live in the Black Sea: the harbour porpoise, the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classes all three as vulnerable or endangered.

An aerial survey in 2019 estimated the populations at 258,000 harbour porpoises, 119,000 common dolphins and 22,900 bottlenose dolphins.

The report names pollution, damage to habitats, underwater noise and stress on marine mammals from military action as threats. It describes accidental catches in fishing nets as another major problem.

The author also recommends clearing sea mines and creating new marine protected areas. The report says clearing mines is decisive for both the short-term and long-term health of the cetaceans and the whole marine ecosystem. Educational initiatives to make people more aware of the Black Sea ecosystem are also listed among the effective steps.

Martin Tomov, coordinator of Greenpeace's "Living Black Sea without Oil and Gas" campaign, said the sea is under extra pressure from new threats such as attacks on ships, explosions and the risk of pollution from oil and gas drilling. He said the ecosystem is already in danger. In his view, the sea needs scientific research, effective protection of important marine areas and joint action by the Black Sea countries.

In early August, the icebreaker Arctic Sunrise docked in Varna for a two-day visit to support Greenpeace's campaign to stop oil and gas extraction in the Black Sea.