Oxygen-starved fish struggle for survival in minimal water levels at Lake Koroneia
File photo: Lake Koroneia. Photo via Facebook
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Drought, management shortcomings or extreme water consumption, any or all of these may be responsible for the recent death of thousands of fish in Lake Koroneia, located at the heart of the Thessaloniki regional unit, in northern Greece.
Carps and butterflies washed out on the banks a few days ago, and water is now reaching only 60 to 80 cm high, yet there are miraculously still hundreds of fish present in the lake, of which a sample was sent to regional veterinary services for laboratory analysis, at the request of the Koronia-Volvi-Chalkidiki Lake Management Organization.
“There’s life yet in the lake, and although in poor ecological condition, is able to support nine species of fish,” Elias Tekidis, Coordinator at the Koronia-Volvi-Chalkidiki Lake Management Organization told Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) on Saturday.
- “However,” he continued, “the lake’s ecological status remains consistently poor, even after 2015, when technical works were carried out, and there was substantial rainfall which increased the amount of water and led to higher numbers of fish and poultry.”
Despite a misleading minor improvement as of 2015, Tekidis said, “the problem has not been solved and the lake’s ecological status is far from what it should be, it has simply been marginally better than in previous years.”
An important factor affecting the amount of water in lake Koroneia, according to Tekidis, is the so-called aquatic balance, which is currently negative, especially after reduced rainfall, increased water consumption in the area, and some 1,500 local drillings for irrigation purposes.
“This is gradually causing further negative reactions to an already bad ecological status, as microorganisms are increasing, conductivity is reduced-which affects concentration of ions in the water, and oxygen is depleted, therefore it only makes sense to foresee a mass extinction of lake species soon,” urged Tekidis.
Asked how the situation at Koroneia can be reversed, Tekidis replied that the sheer number of different responsibilities of various actors involved in the protection of Koroneia, results in poor coordination towards immediate rescue decisions.
- “There is a lack of adequate coordination in central government and perhaps at ministry level, it’s why decisions cannot be reached at a faster pace, both on the operation of rescue projects and on the management policies that need to be adopted,” Tekidis concluded.
In response to Lake Koroneia’s urgent situation, Konstantin Aravossis, Secretary General for Natural Environment and Water at the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior-Sector of Macedonia & Thrace, has called for a broad meeting of officials from relevant ministries, local authorities and scientific bodies on October 1, in order to seek immediate action, to perhaps restore the lake to its former natural state.
Source ANA-MPA
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