In Volos, hundreds of thousands of dead fish that were expelled from their freshwater habitats. These fish have accumulated in the port covering the water surface with a silvery blanket spanning several kilometers. The odor from the rotting fish has become unbearable.
Also Read: Japan: Emergency Warnings Issued as Typhoon Shanshan Threatens Kyushu
The fish die-off in Volos is directly linked to floods that struck the Thessaly Plain in Northern Greece last year. The flooding caused the nearby rivers and lakes, which serve as freshwater habitats for numerous fish species to overflow.
This overflow displaced the fish pushing them toward areas they would not normally inhabit including the port of Volos.
A nearby lake was drained in 1962 as part of a malaria control effort and was refilled by the floods, swelling to three times its usual size.
However as the waters receded, the displaced freshwater fish were forced to migrate toward the port, where the saltwater environment proved fatal.
The sudden dead fish created a surreal and disturbing scene in Volos. The carcasses formed a thick, silvery blanket across the port. The sight was visual blight and also an olfactory assault, as the decaying fish emitted a stench that warned residents and threatened local businesses.
City council member Stelios Limnios described the problem, saying that it wasn’t confined to the port itself but also extended into the center of the Pagasetic Gulf.
Greek authorities launched a clean-up operation. Trawlers were deployed to drag nets through the water, collecting the fish, which were then transported by truck to disposal sites.
Within 24 hours, over 80,000 pounds of dead fish were collected. Trawlers equipped with nets have been deployed to collect the dead fish.
Over 40 tonnes of fish were removed from the port within the first 24 hours. The collected fish were loaded onto trucks and transported away from the port to prevent the odor from spreading to the nearby tourist areas.
Also Read: Iceland Ice Wall Collapse: One Tourist Dead, Two Trapped
Volos Mayor Achilleas Beos has expressed frustration with the government’s delayed response to the situation. He warned that the decaying fish could have environmental threat to other species in the area.
The failure to install a protective net at the mouth of the river leading to the port has been cited as a critical oversight by local authorities. Such a measure could have prevented the fish from being swept into the saltwater and dying.
The fish die-off has had an impact on local businesses particularly those reliant on tourism. Dimosthenis Bakoyiannis, a beachside restaurant owner near Volos reported an 80% drop in turnover this season due to tourists avoiding the area after the floods.
The president of the local association of restaurants and bars, Stefanos Stefanou warned that the situation could be catastrophic for the local economy. He stated that the sight and smell of the dead fish would deter visitors from coming to the city.
The Greek environment ministry has yet to issue a formal comment on the incident. Local prosecutors have launched an investigation into the handling of the disaster focusing on the failure to implement measures such as the protective net.
The investigation will also examine the water quality and microbial levels in the estuary of Lake Karla, as well as pollution in the Pagasetic Gulf to assess the environmental impact of the incident.
Also Read: Bangladesh Floods: Nearly 3 Million People Stranded and 2 Dead
