The discharge of plutonium-239 from the torpedoes warheads, assuming it occurs, will take place in bursts and will continue for several years. Its consequences will be catastrophic. This section of the world ocean is one of the most biologically productive. Eighty percent of the fish caught in the Barents and Norwegian Seas are caught precisely in the region where the Komsomolets went down. There is no precise data available as yet.
Estimates vary somewhat, depending on the source.
Most sources claim that the financial damage to Norway alone will be a loss of revenue in the range of hundreds of millions of dollars annually, hopefully paid by Russia. The estimated loss in revenue to certain nations which fish in the effected areas is the only indication of the potential consequences that might arise. Norway has the most to lose from the pollution. Other nations also fish in the area, including Russia. Conflict Aspects 9.