Fish die in Venice: concern about pollution in the Lagoon

VENEZIA. Fish die in the lagoon. In the last few hours, thousands of dead fish have been seen floating in some central areas of the lagoon. In a short space of time, dead fish have also arrived in the internal canals of the city and have been spotted in the Grand Canal. This phenomenon has also occurred in other summers but this time it appears to be on a larger scale. “Our technical staff are taking action along with the Local Health Authority”, explains the Councillor for the Environment Gianfranco Bettin, who continues, “According to preliminary data, the situation is quite normal. The absence of wind and currents has caused overall warming of the water in the Lagoon, which has led to obvious difficulties for native species especially in the southern and central areas of the Lagoon.”

But there is growing concern. “In my many working years I have never seen such a thing”, reports an elderly fisherman, “and yet there have been much warmer periods than this one.” Research is now underway to discover whether any “additional” cause other than the heat may have resulted in the death of the fish. The chemical plant in Marghera, where checks have already been made, has been excluded. Pollution may have been caused by fertilizers (arriving in the lagoon when a drainage channel was opened), by polluting discharge from a ship, by excavations of the Lagoon bed that has brought toxic substances to the surface, or by reduced circulation of water due to important works being carried out. It will also be necessary to establish the exact points where the phenomenon started. Yesterday, even the tourists were aware of it in the Grand Canal. Dead fish float and seagulls don’t eat them.

Traduzione a cura di www.soget-est.it