The monk seal (monachus monachus) has been extinct in the Black Sea since it was last seen in 1997. The colony disappeared further to perturbations and pollution. Unfortunately, a lot of fishermen had netted them and sold them to fairs, travelling shows and zoos. Habitat destruction and disturbance by tourism triggered the decline of the monk seal population. The main factor here was direct killing and live capture. Locals killed the seals for their fat and skin and these mammals were also fishermen’s enemy just as dolphins because they were damaging their nets and stealing their fish. The monk seal was at the head of the food chain. With their extinction, fish stocks have hit rock bottom, unable to withstand the pressures of industrial fleets.
Therefore, artisanal fishermen could not capture the same amount of fish as it was in the time when monk seals were existing in the Black Sea. The other reason for their extinction is the continuing anthropogenic stress in the Black Sea, which is again a human factor. The Black Sea regions have a permanent population of roughly 160 million inhabitants from Ukraine, Turkiye, Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania to which 6–8 million tourists are added per year.