Massive Fish Die-Off Plagues Greek City of Volos After 2023 Floods

In a troubling environmental development, the Greek city of Volos is grappling with a significant fish die-off, believed to be an aftereffect of the catastrophic flooding that struck the region in September 2023. The incident has prompted urgent cleanup efforts and raised concerns about public health and the local economy.

Authorities in Volos, the capital of the Magnesia regional unit in Thessaly, are working tirelessly to remove the massive quantity of dead fish from the waters surrounding the city. According to state broadcaster ERT, over 160 tons of fish carcasses have been collected thus far. The Volos Port Organization has deployed five cleanup crews and installed a net at the mouth of a stream to prevent more dead fish from entering the Pagasetic Gulf.

The cause of this ecological disaster has been attributed to the increased salinity in the water as freshwater fish from Lake Karla, a restored wetland ecosystem north of Volos, entered the gulf. Dimitris Kouretas, the governor of Thessaly, explained that the fish were killed as they approached the ocean due to the change in water composition.

Lake Karla, once the second-largest lake in Greece before being drained in 1962, was restored in a project completed in 2018. The lake's water levels rose significantly following the major flooding caused by Storm Daniel in September 2023. This flooding devastated approximately 444 square miles, primarily in the Thessalian plain, which is known as Greece's breadbasket due to its agricultural importance.

The situation has severely impacted local businesses, particularly during the tourist season. The Volos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for pandemic-style support measures to assist affected enterprises. The pleasant waterfront of Volos, a city steeped in Greek mythology as the port where Jason and the Argonauts set sail, has been transformed into an unsightly and malodorous scene.

In response to the crisis, a month-long state of emergency was declared for the region on August 30, 2024. The Greek Supreme Court prosecutor has ordered an investigation into an open floodgate between Lake Karla and the gulf, which may have contributed to the fish die-off.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of climate-related challenges facing Greece. In September 2023, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that the country was "fighting a war in peacetime" against climate change. The nation has experienced multiple disasters in recent years, including Europe's largest wildfire on record in 2023 and destructive fires near Athens earlier this month.

"We are fighting a war in peacetime against climate change."

As Greece continues to grapple with these environmental crises, the government has allocated over $46 million for rehabilitation and flood protection projects in the Thessaly region. With one of the longest coastlines in Europe, Greece faces significant vulnerabilities to climate change impacts, including sea-level rise and extreme weather events.

The ongoing situation in Volos serves as a stark reminder of the complex and long-lasting effects of climate-related disasters, highlighting the need for comprehensive environmental management and climate adaptation strategies.