ATHENS: The port city of Volos in central Greece has declared a state of emergency following a massive influx of dead fish, which local residents fear could severely impact their livelihoods, according to the state news agency.
The month-long emergency declaration, announced by Vassilis Papageorgiou, the climate ministry’s secretary general of civil protection, will allocate funds and resources to expedite the cleanup of the Pagasetic Gulf port. Tons of dead fish have accumulated along the coast and in rivers, prompting immediate action.
This is the second major environmental disaster to affect Volos, located about a three-and-a-half-hour drive north of Athens. The city is still reeling from last year’s catastrophic floods in the Thessaly region, which resulted in the refilling of a nearby lake that had been drained in 1962 to combat malaria. The lake’s dramatic expansion contributed to the current crisis by pushing freshwater fish into the Volos port.
According to Dimitris Klaudatos, a professor of agriculture and environment at the University of Thessaly, storms Daniel and Elias last autumn inundated around 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of Thessaly’s plains. The subsequent flooding carried various freshwater fish to the sea, where they were unable to survive.
On Tuesday alone, authorities removed 57 tons of dead fish from beaches near Volos. Most of the fish have been collected, with two boats still working to complete the cleanup. Special nets have been deployed at the mouth of the Xiria River to contain the influx of dead fish.
The crisis has already caused a nearly 80 percent drop in tourist traffic to the area, according to the local Association of Restaurants and Bars. Stefanos Stefanou, the association’s president, expressed concern about the long-term impact, stating, “This dead fish situation will be the death of us. What visitor will come to our city after this?”
The environmental emergency has also triggered an investigation by the public prosecutor.
