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Tons Of Dead Fish Wash Up On Greek Port City Shore: REPORT

GREECE CLIMATE NATURE

(Photo by SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Ilan Hulkower Contributor
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Over 100 tons of dead fish washed up in and around the shore of the Greek port city of Volos due to a mass-die off event, The Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday, citing Greek authorities.

The fish originated from central Greece’s Lake Karla, which was drained early in the 1960s and restored in 2018 to alleviate drought, the AP reported.

“There are millions of dead fish all the way from Lake Karla and 20 kilometers eastward,” deputy regional governor Anna Maria Papadimitriou said to state media, the AP reported. “Right now, there is a huge effort underway to clean up the millions of dead fish that have washed along the shorelines and riverbanks… an effort that involves multiple contractors.” (RELATED: ‘The River Is Essentially Dead’: How Enviros’ Push To Save Salmon Ended Up Killing ‘Hundreds Of Thousands’ Of Them)

Fishing trawlers and earthmovers were employed by the regional government to collect the dead fish from the sea, according to the outlet. The fish were then reportedly transported for incineration.

The mass die-off of fish reduced commercial activity along the seafront by 80% over the previous three days in Volos, the city’s Chamber of Commerce said, the AP reported. The mayor reportedly criticized regional officials for an allegedly slow response.

The city’s Chamber of Commerce threatened to take legal action, alleging damages from reduced commerce, according to the outlet. “Businesses along the seafront, particularly in the catering industry, are now suspending operations,” a chamber statement reportedly said. “A strong stench along the seafront is repulsive to both residents and visitors… delivering a severe blow to tourism in Volos.”

Volos is renowned for being a sizable and “beautiful” Greek city with one of the most used ports in the country, according to Visit Greece. Mass die-offs of fish can triggered by numerous factors including disease, chemical spills and too little oxygen dissolving into the water, according to Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources.