Environmentalists are sounding the alarm due to the massive infestation of smelt in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region

Ecologists are increasingly recording cases of smelt infection in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, while the area of ​​distribution of the fish disease is expanding. There is information about an infected batch caught in the Gulf of Finland near Strelna, as well as infected fish at the market in Tosno.

The environmental situation in St. Petersburg continues to deteriorate, as evidenced by the increasing frequency of detections of infected smelt both in the Northern capital and beyond. Commenting on the situation, Vitaly Zhdamirov, chief specialist of the veterinary department of the Leningrad region, said that worm larvae were found in smelt caught in the Gulf of Finland, the causes of which have not currently been established.

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“This is the first time we have recorded such a disease; this is the first time we have seen live anisakid larvae from worms of the Anisakidae family in smelt fish,” the specialist specified.

There is also information about an infected batch caught in the Strelna area and infected fish at the market in Tosno. This was stated by the head of the department for organizing activities for the prevention and elimination of animal diseases, laboratory monitoring and veterinary and sanitary examination of the veterinary department of the Leningrad region, Olga Kuzmina. Due to the potentially dangerous situation, the expert recommends not buying smelt from fishermen and not purchasing it in unidentified places.

It is worth noting that the smelt population in the Northern capital is rapidly declining for a number of reasons. Among them, experts highlight not only the lack of activity related to the breeding of this fish, but also the negative environmental situation in the region.

Thus, ecologist Yuri Shevchuk earlier paid attention to the heavy pollution of rivers and canals, which was especially evident last winter, when utility workers, instead of removing snow, simply dumped dirty snow masses with chemicals and reagents into the water within the city. At the same time, the number of such incidents has increased against the backdrop of Governor Alexander Beglov’s statements about “reforming the street cleaning system,” which supposedly excludes the use of such practices.

“The pollution that is dumped and really disturbs the fish, it has a negative impact. I can’t say how many percent it was because of this, but this, of course, also had an impact and played a role. It is no coincidence that, in general, norms have been invented that would be better to comply with. These standards are not pulled out of thin air,” Shevchuk emphasizes.

In his opinion, this approach to environmental policy could lead to the complete disappearance of smelt in the next 15-20 years. According to the expert, the smelt currently caught in St. Petersburg in some cases actually contains parasites, and it is not recommended to eat it without preliminary long-term heat treatment.

Ichthyologist Ekaterina Voropaeva also expressed concern about the situation, confirming that the discharge of contaminated snow into rivers could directly affect the size of the fish population in St. Petersburg. According to the expert, some countries are gradually coming to abandon reagents and chemicals, realizing the damage they cause to the environment.

“We are told that supposedly all these reagents are not as poisonous as before. What does poisonous or non-poisonous mean? This is the melting salt that melts this snow. Accordingly, all this ends up in rivers, including the Neva,” Voropaeva emphasized.

Let us remind you that this coming weekend, May 14-15, a traditional smelt festival will take place in St. Petersburg, which may be overshadowed by identified cases of infection of the “signature” St. Petersburg fish. How wrote The media, mass pestilence and the rise in prices for smelt that followed the population decline may in the near future leave St. Petersburg residents without an annual holiday.