Freshwater fish filled both the bay and nearby rivers after being displaced from their normal habitats by last year’s floods, which were followed by months of severe drought.
More than 100 tons of dead fish They have arrived at the port of Volos, in the center of Greeceafter authorities blamed the mass mortality on extreme climate fluctuations. They filled both the bay and the nearby rivers after being displaced from their usual habitats by last year’s floods.
Regional authorities have chartered fishing trawlers, along with excavators, to remove dead fish from the sea and load them onto trucks that will take them to an incinerator.
The fish came from Lake Karlain central Greece, a body of water dried up in the early 1960s and restored in 2018 to combat the effects of drought. “We are cooperating with whoever wants to help this phenomenon end as soon as possible,” said Anna Maria Papadimitriou, deputy regional governor of central Thessaly. “The regional governor has declared a state of emergency,” she added.
The water level rose sharply last fall during a deadly storm that caused major flooding in central Greece, but has since dropped due to flooding. little rainfall in the following months and the successive ones heat waves this summer.
Experts claim that no net was placed at the mouth of the river leading to Volos, so when Freshwater fish were swept away by the flood and died when they came into contact with sea water..
The mayor of Volos, Achilleas Beos, lashed out at the regional authority, accusing it of acting too slowly. In a press conference he said that the stench was unbearable and warned that the decomposing fish could cause an environmental disaster.
And the city’s Chamber of Commerce announced that it was going to undertake legal actions for damagesafter the commercial activity in this popular tourist destination reduced by 80% in the last three days.
“The businesses on the seafrontespecially those in the restaurant sector, have suspended their activities“the Chamber stated in a statement. “A strong stench along the boardwalk repels residents and visitors alike, striking a hard blow to tourism in Volos“.
