A mass cleanup effort is underway in Greece after more than 100 tons of dead freshwater fish were discovered following a mass die-off that authorities have linked to extreme climate fluctuations.
The rotting fish have brought a “stench” that is “repulsive” to the port of Volos in central Greece, the local chamber of commerce said, according to the Associated Press. Officials said the dead fish have caused a “severe blow” to tourism.
Anna Maria Papadimitriou, the deputy regional governor of the central Thessaly area where Volos is located, told a local media outlet: “We are cooperating with whoever wants to help this phenomenon end as quickly as possible.”
But Volos Mayor Achilleas Beos accused the regional authority of acting too slowly and warned that the mass fish die-off, which scientists have linked to climate change, could be an environmental disaster.
The millions of freshwater fish came from central Greece’s Lake Karla, which abruptly swelled from a storm in September 2023 and caused mass flooding after months of extreme heat waves and severe drought.
But when the waters receded from a lack of rainfall, experts say, the fish were swept away with the floodwater and died when they encountered seawater. The carcasses spewed into nearby rivers, bays and the Pagasetic Gulf, where vacation homes line the shore.
Now, the regional governor has declared a state of emergency and deployed fishing trawlers, which are commercial vessels that use nets to collect fish. The fish have been dumped on trucks and sent to an incinerator. More than 40 tons of fish were collected in over 24 hours this week, local authorities said.
The city’s chamber of commerce claimed that most businesses along the seafront have closed and commercial activity has been reduced by 80% in the past three days. The chamber said it was taking legal action against any responsible parties, seeking damages for the decline in business.
Local prosecutors are investigating the phenomenon.
