Towards the Creation of Coastal Marine Protected Areas in the Russian Part of the Caspian Sea: Fish Species in Need of Special Conservation Status

The Special Protected Natural Areas currently existing within the Russian waters of the Caspian Sea are not able to adequately protect the aquatic flora and fauna (especially endemic, rare and endangered species) from the increasing anthropogenic impacts (poaching, river flow regulation, pollution, habitat degradation, mining, etc.). In this context, the creation of additional conservation measures becomes particularly relevant, one of which could be the development of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Marine Protected Areas (EBSMPAs) in the Russian part of the Caspian Sea with a complete ban on economic activity except for scientific research. To this end, the first step was to attempt to compile a list of fish species living in the area under consideration that require additional protection measures. The analysis is based on information on endemism, range size, current population levels, anthropogenic threats and existing conservation measures. The proposed list includes 1 species of cyclostomes and 13 species of bony fishes, which are currently experiencing the most significant anthropogenic impacts.