Press centre

The results of mandatory industrial and environmental monitoring of Nakhodka Mineral Fertilizer Plant  (NFP) construction site have not revealed any changes or impact of the project on the water area of Wrangel Bay and the fish, mollusks and other biological organisms living there. The research is carried out by scientists of the A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Centre of Marine Biology (NSCMB FEB RAS).

Throughout the year, scientists went out to Nakhodka Bay three times: in spring, summer and autumn. Assisted by robots, they made direct observations and also took water samples to get an idea of the composition and ratio of organisms and to make a long-term comparison: how it was and what has changed.

“The basic idea is to look at the state of marine ecosystems in terms of living organisms before the work started, in the course of performance of works, and – as per the terms of engagement with NFP – in two years’ time. At the moment, no serious deviations from the usual state of the bay have been revealed, everything is within expected levels of variation,” Vladimir Mordukhovich, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the NSMB FEB RAS, Candidate of Biological Sciences, reports.

The next scheduled study will take place in the summer of 2024. Assessment of environmental risks during construction and operation of the marine terminal has been carried out at all levels. The project has successfully passed Main State Environmental Review and was approved by the Primorsky Territorial Administration of Russian Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo). To maintain the ecosystem in 2024, juvenile fish or scallop will be released into the waters of the Sea of Japan by specialists from NFP and Rosrybolovstvo.