A climate-related mass die-off leaves over 100 tons of dead fish collecting at a Greek port

VOLOS, Greece (AP) — Greater than 100 tons of lifeless fish have been collected in and across the port of Volos in central Greece after a mass die-off linked to excessive climate fluctuations, authorities mentioned Thursday.

The lifeless freshwater fish crammed the bay 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Athens, and close by rivers. Water ranges have been swollen by floods in 2023, adopted by months of extreme drought.

The die-off has hit native companies alongside the seafront, decreasing business exercise by 80% previously three days, based on Volos’ Chamber of Commerce.

Fishing trawlers have been chartered by the regional authorities, together with earthmovers, to scoop the lifeless fish out of the ocean and cargo them onto vans sure for an incinerator.

The fish got here from Lake Karla in central Greece, a physique of water drained within the early Nineteen Sixties and restored in 2018 to fight the results of drought.

“There are hundreds of thousands of lifeless fish all the way in which from Lake Karla and 20 kilometers (12 miles) eastward,” Anna Maria Papadimitriou, the deputy regional governor of the central Thessaly space, informed state-run tv.

“Proper now, there’s a large effort underway to wash up the hundreds of thousands of lifeless fish which have washed alongside the shorelines and riverbanks … an effort that includes a number of contractors,” she mentioned.

Water ranges rose abruptly in fall 2023 throughout a lethal storm that induced intensive flooding in central Greece, however have since receded as a consequence of low rainfall and successive summer season warmth waves.

The mayor of Volos lashed out on the regional authority, accusing it of appearing too slowly, whereas the town’s Chamber of Commerce mentioned it was taking authorized motion to hunt damages after the sever drop in business exercise.

“Companies alongside the seafront, notably within the catering trade, at the moment are suspending operations,” the chamber mentioned in a press release. “A robust stench alongside the seafront is repulsive to each residents and guests … delivering a extreme blow to tourism in Volos.” ___

Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.

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