Bystroye Canal, Navigation canal in Odesa Oblast, Ukraine

Bystroye Canal is a navigation route that links the Danube River to the Black Sea through a network of distributaries in southern Odesa Oblast. The waterway handles vessel traffic and connects inland areas to international maritime routes.

The canal served as a transport route during Soviet times but closed in 1959 due to silting and remained inactive for decades. Its reopening in 2007 after major dredging work restored this historical waterway to active use.

The canal's name comes from the Bystroe distributary, called Novo-Stambulskoye Girlo in Soviet times. Since 2007 it has been operated by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority and its pilot service Delta Lotsman, whose pilots guide every vessel. The route passes through the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, a Ramsar wetland since 1991.

Direct access to the canal is restricted, but visitors can observe it from nearby viewpoints and embankments along the surrounding area. Local guides in adjacent communities can provide information about the waterway and its current operations.

The canal's Bystroe branch cuts through the Ukrainian Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991 and a Ramsar wetland. The WWF states the delta holds 70 percent of the world's white pelicans and 50 percent of pygmy cormorants. In 2004 about 140 non-profit organisations and trade unions sent an open letter to the Ukrainian embassy in Bucharest warning the project could endanger more than 280 bird species and 45 freshwater fish species.