More than 60 tonnes of fish were reportedly collected in two days.
Some media outlets describe the situation as a ruin for tourism in the region. In Volos (prefecture of Magnesia prefecture) in central Greece, tens of thousands of fish corpses appeared on the surface of the sea earlier this week.
Hundreds of thousands of dead fish have poured into the port of Volos, in Greece. Authorities believe flooding could be behind the incident. pic.twitter.com/DsDatFKb1A
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) August 28, 2024
According to the first explanations of scientists, these freshwater fish that lived in Lake Karla died from contact with salty sea water, reports the Courrier international. The lake overflowed after the region was flooded and ravaged by several storms, including floods. The weekly newspaper reports that “more than 20,000 hectares were submerged in the plains of Thessaly, which became a huge lake. The fish then ended up in the sea, at the level of the Pagasetic Gulf, following the gradual flow of fresh water.”
The surface of the sea was covered by this impressive quantity of dead fish that can be seen from several beaches, underlines the Greek cooperative daily. EfsynAccording to him, “the stench of rotting fish is unbearable and restaurateurs are desperate because they cannot keep their shops open.”
Greek port grapples with flood of dead fish.
On one day alone, authorities removed 57 tons of the dead fish washed up on beaches near Volos. The cleanup effort is expected to take days pic.twitter.com/xTqAusZY48
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 29, 2024
More than 60 tons of fish were reportedly collected in two days by health authorities, but it will take a week to clean the entire coast near the tourist town of Volos, which is also home to many fishermen. At least six beaches in the area have withdrawn their Blue Flag, a label for sustainable tourism. An investigation has been opened into the “errors” that may have led to this situation, reports the Greek weekly Ethnos. Seawater quality and microbial load at the mouth of Lake Karla should be studied.
