Volos: Hoteliers in Despair as Tourists Disappear Due to Dead Fish

Tourism entrepreneurs in Volos are in despair after the dead fish crisis in Pagasitikos. Alykes hotel owner Dimitris Karamitsos told OPEN stated, in particular, that “99% of clients left.”

«This phenomenon started last Friday. My hotel is in Alykes, on the seashore, 20 meters from the place where the dead fish lies. 99% of the guests left the hotel and only the staff remained. They cancelled their reservations and left, which makes sense, since they came to swim in the sea and instead saw dead fish. In addition to the ugly picture, there is a strong stench throughout the hotel grounds.”

The hotel owner then mentioned the difficulties that the residents of Volos faced last year: “The situation was already difficult for the residents of Volos due to the flooding from last year. Then pCatering establishments have lost revenue by approximately 70-80% compared to other years. Of course, now they are almost at the level of minus 100%, since all the tourists have disappeared. Yesterday we saw the first cleaning crews after 6 days.”

Asked if they knew when the dead fish problem would end, Karamitsos said: “Nobody told us anything about when this problem would end. No one said when we would know that the fish would die. We are still playing this game. Yesterday we saw the first cleaning crews.”

“The summer season for us lasts until mid-October. But we are a hotel that operates all year round. At least 150 people work on the salt plains during the season. All these people will be left without work, since the businesses here will not be able to function. “Immediate support from the state is needed for all enterprises.”

What is the reason for fish death? According to the conclusion of the Volos prosecutor's office, which ordered and completed a preliminary investigation last February, the Karla dam, which has been leaking water and tons of fish into the Pagasitikos Gulf in recent weeks, cannot be closed.

The investigation was prompted by a lawsuit filed on September 22 by the mayor of Volos, Achilleas Beos, following an autopsy he carried out in the area of ​​Karla, complaining that a large amount of water had entered the Pagasitikos Gulf, contaminated water from Pinios, where wastewater from the flood-damaged biological treatment plant in Larissa was discharged.

A preliminary investigation has been conducted into the lawsuit, the “fate” of which was investigated by the mayor of Volos, and the conclusion seems to answer the pressing question: “why were the sluice gates not closed” and tons of fish from the Karla River ended up in the Pagasitikos Gulf.

The document reportedly contains a multi-page ruling that prohibits closing the sluice gates. The investigation, which was conducted over the winter months, came to three main conclusions:

• The waters of Lake Karla are not polluted, judging by the measurements taken.
• The water quality in the Pagasitikos Gulf has not been affected by the influx of water from Karla.
• The dam could not be closed because it was necessary to relieve the flood situation. It is also stated that the opening of the sluice gates occurs in accordance with the rules established by law.

The conclusion was published in early February and even submitted to the Larisa Prosecutor's Court of Appeal. The decision of two independent prosecutors was that there was no problem in the circumstances that existed at that time. This conclusion never saw the light of day until recently, and only recently, in the wake of the dead fish phenomenon, was the public debate about Karl's barge revived.

But it could, if made public, have prevented the debate that arose at the start of the tourist season, when “voices” spoke without evidence about the pollution of Pagasitikos by Karla, which led to discrediting the region and creating confusion among citizens about whether they should swim in the Pagasitikos coast, which before the appearance of the dead fish was described as “excellent quality”.

Author's opinion: As usual, no one was found guilty, everything was done as required by law. And no one will be held responsible for the 95 tons of dead fish thrown onto the beaches of Volos and the surrounding area, and the resulting loss of tens of thousands of tourists. All this could have been prevented. All that was needed was to be concerned and think a little. But the desire to think won out over laziness…

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