the Greek authorities has begun collecting hundreds of thousands of dead fish that poured into a tourist port in central Volos this week after being displaced from their normal freshwater habitats during floods last year.
The floating carcasses created a silvery blanket over the harbor and a stench that frightened residents and authorities who ran to scoop them up before the smell reached nearby restaurants and hotels.
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“It stretches for kilometers,” city councilor Stelios Limnios told Reuters. “It is not only along the coast, but also in the center of the Pagasetic Gulf,” he said, referring to the area outside Volos whose coast is lined with holiday homes.
On Wednesday, trawlers dragged nets to collect the fish, which were then dumped into the back of trucks. More than 40 tons have been collected in the past 24 hours, authorities said.
A man sits in a boat as loads of dead fish wash up in the port of Volos, Greece, on August 28, 2024. (REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis)
Volos mayor Achilleas Beos said the smell was unbearable. During a press conference on Wednesday, he accused the government of not addressing the problem before it reached his city. He said that rotting fish can create an environmental disaster for other species in the area.
Experts said the problem was caused by historic floods last year that inundated the Thessalian plane further north, including rivers and lakes. A net was not placed at the mouth of the river leading into Volos, they said. When the fish met the sea, the salt water likely killed them.
“They didn’t do the obvious, to put a safety net,” Mayor Beos said, referring to government services.
The Ministry of the Environment has not responded to a request for comment. Local prosecutors have ordered an investigation.
The disaster is the latest effect of extreme weather in Greece that scientists link to climate change, including higher temperatures and erratic rainfall causing forest fires and floods.
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Dimosthenis Bakoyiannis, 33, who owns a beach restaurant 10 km (6 miles) from Volos, says his turnover dropped by 80% this summer because fewer tourists wanted to visit after the flooding.
“Closing the barrier now will not help,” he said. “Now it’s too late, the tourist season is over.”