Greek mussel farms face unexpected disaster as Mediterranean heats up
Greek mussel farmers discover devastating losses with 90% of their harvest destroyed by extreme water temps. Small family businesses struggle as scientists confirm climate-related damage extends to next seasons crop
In late-10/2024 Anastasios Zakalkas checked his mussel-farm ropes in the Aegean Sea finding mostly broken empty shells instead of the usual sea-fresh harvest
The Greek mussel-farming community faces a mind-boggling 90% drop in their 2024 harvest; whats more concerning all the seed for next season didnt make it through the heat-wave (making recovery extra-hard for local farmers)
The Mediterranean region got hit hard by climate shifts this year — temps went way above normal causing issues for many crops:
- Chestnuts
- Apples
- Cherries
When summer hit in 07/2024 the Thermaic Gulf (Greeces main mussel-growing spot) saw temps jump above 30C: way too hot for these sea-dwelling creatures. Kostas Koukaras a marine-life expert points out that such events werent supposed to happen for another 7 years; showing how fast things are changing
Greece holds third place in Europeʼs fish-farming business (after France and Spain) with its mussel industry shipping out 20000 tonnes yearly. The sector brings in big money: back in 2021 it was worth 619 million euros. Now around 100 families in Kymina town — including Sotiris Tsaros whose been farming for 3 decades — are looking at factory jobs to make ends meet
The destruction we suffered was 100% we dont know how well make a living in the new year
