A massive wave of stinking dead fish is threatening Greece’s environment and tourism sector, in more evidence of the impact of climate change on the southern European country.
After effects of Storm Daniel a year on
After Storm Daniel in 2023, extreme flooding in the Hellenic Republic’s Thessaly plain badly affected lakes and rivers, and now a new inundation of rotting fish is causing anger among locals in the city of Volos. Both the port and shoreside areas lined with holiday homes have been coated with hundreds of thousands of fish carcasses. The creatures are thought to have died after being washed from their freshwater habitat into saltwater.
The Municipality of Volos has temporarily revoked the Blue Flag status from six beaches due to environmental concerns about the presence of dead fish in the Pagasitikos Gulf. This precautionary measure is taken to ensure the safety of swimmers and maintain environmental… pic.twitter.com/Dk1N8YJGaV
— Greek City Times (@greekcitytimes) August 27, 2024
Experts said after the storm that barriers should have been put in place at the mouth of the river leading to the port, but no such measures were taken at the time to prevent the corpse tide from invading the coast.
Criticising the government at a press conference on Wednesday, local mayor Achilleas Beos said, “They didn’t do the obvious, to put a protective net.”
Tourists already staying away
One local restaurateur told Reuters his turnover was already 80% down because tourists who had heard about last year’s floods were staying away. But, as well as what Beos described as an unbearable stench threatening the area’s popularity with tourists, the vast quantity of putrid fish present a risk to other wildlife species.
Residents and officials have rushed to clear the floating health hazard, which one local councillor told Reuters “spans kilometres”, and stretches “not just along the coast but also in the centre of the Pagasetic Gulf”. According to authorities, over forty tonnes of dead fish had been trawled into drag nets and collected in just 24 hours.
Legal action is now possible with an investigation under way.
🇬🇷OVER 100 TONS OF DEAD FISH FOUND IN GREECE
— Silent Dude (@silentdude95) August 29, 2024
More than 100 tons of dead fish have been collected around the port of Volos in central Greece, following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. pic.twitter.com/5bfkNm3WlM
Epicentre of climate change
Greece is at the epicentre of climate change impacts in southern Europe, which include extreme high temperatures, droughts, and rampant wildfires that have killed some of the most vulnerable in society and caused nationwide warnings as well as emergency evacuations of tourist complexes. Agricultural land, such as almond orchards, has been rendered unfarmable, and those who depend on it have seen their life’s work and livelihoods destroyed.
A warmer #climate leads to more marine #heatwaves, resulting in massive die-offs of fish and aquatic life. 🌡️ In #Volos, #Greece, over 100 tons of dead fish have been collected around the port following a mass die-off linked to extreme climate fluctuations. 🌊 #ClimateCrisis pic.twitter.com/2UsyXDuYb1
— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) August 29, 2024
In addition, a recent report predicts that even under the best case scenario of coastal flooding due to rising sea levels, nearly 150 ancient sites and cultural gems could be damaged or disappear by the end of the century.
