Volos, Greece — More than 100 tons of dead fish were collected in and around the port of Volos in central Greece after a mass die-off linked to extreme weather conditions, authorities said Thursday. The dead freshwater fish filled the bay 200 miles north of Athens and nearby rivers.
The water levels in the area were swollen by floods in 2023followed by months of severe drought.
According to the Volos Chamber of Commerce, the marine mortality has had a major impact on local businesses along the coast, causing commercial activity to decrease by 80% over the past three days.
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Regional authorities have hired fishing vessels and earthmoving equipment to scoop the dead fish from the sea and load them onto trucks that will be taken to the incinerator.
The fish came from Lake Karla in central Greece, a body of water that was drained in the early 1960s and restored in 2018 to combat the effects of drought.
“There are millions of dead fish from Lake Karla up to 20 kilometres east,” Anna Maria Papadimitriou, the deputy governor of the Central Thessaly region, told state television.
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“Work is currently underway to clean up the millions of dead fish that have washed up along the coasts and riverbanks… a job that involves several contractors,” she said.
In the fall of 2023, water levels rose abruptly during a deadly storm that caused widespread flooding in central Greece, but have since fallen due to low rainfall and successive summer heat waves.
The mayor of Volos slammed the regional government, accusing it of acting too slowly, while the city’s Chamber of Commerce said it would take legal action to seek compensation following the sharp drop in commercial activity.
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“Businesses along the coast, especially in the hospitality industry, are now suspending their activities,” the chamber said in a statement. “A strong stench along the coast is repugnant to both residents and visitors … and is a major blow to tourism in Volos.”
