2022 Caspian seal die-off

On 4 December 2022 a mass die-off of endangered Caspian seals (Pusa caspica) in the Caspian Sea was reported. Initially over 140 Caspian seals were found dead on the beaches of Kazakhstan. By 5 December around 2,500 dead Caspian seals have been found on Dagestan's shore. No conclusive cause of the die-off has been established. Dagestan's Ministry of Natural Resources believed the animals had died of "natural factors" and estimated the number of dead seals was likely to be much higher.

While Caspian seal is an IUCN-listed endangered species, Dagestan's Ministry of Natural Resources said their overall number in the area remained stable, "ranging from 270,000 to 300,000". Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force estimated the population at 168,000, whilst the Caspian Seals Research and Rehabilitation Center (CSRRC) put the number at fewer than 70,000. Since the beginning of the 1900s, the population has dropped by over 90%.

Initially it was reported that 700 dead seals had been found on the shore, but the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia later revised the number to about 2,500.