Greece: Oxygen-starved fish dying in drought-hit lake
Posted September 19, 2019 7:00 am
KORONEIA, Greece (AP) - Tens of thousands of dead fish have been found on the banks of a lake in a protected nature reserve in northern Greece after high temperatures and drought conditions caused a severe drop in water levels.
State environmental officials said Thursday that the water level at Lake Koroneia has dropped by more than 70% percent in the past three years, to 80 centimeters (31 inches), with the decline triggering the death of carp, sunfish, bleak and other freshwater fish.
Dimitra Bobori, an associate biology professor at the University of Thessaloniki and the lake's senior administrator, said dissolved oxygen concentrations in the water had fallen below a critical level, accelerating the deaths over the last week.
Dead fish lie on the shores of Koroneia Lake in northern Greece, on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. Tens of thousands of dead fish are washing up as the water level has plummeted to less than a meter deep (three feet) and the lack of oxygen in the water is leading to mass mortality of everything in it. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
The Associated Press
Dead fish lie on the shores of Koroneia Lake in northern Greece, on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. Thousands of freshwater fish have been found dead at Lake Koroneia, outside the northern Greek city of Thessaloiniki, after the water level fell sharply due to a drought in the region. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
The Associated Press
An expert inspects the shores of Koroneia Lake in northern Greece, on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. Thousands of freshwater fish have been found dead at Lake Koroneia, outside the northern Greek city of Thessaloiniki, after the water level fell sharply due to a drought in the region. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
The Associated Press
Dead fish lay on the shore of Koroneia Lake in northern Greece, on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. Tens of thousands of dead fish are washing up as the water level has plummeted to less than a meter deep (three feet) and the lack of oxygen in the water is leading to mass mortality of everything in it. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
The Associated Press
Dead fish lie on the shore of Koroneia Lake in northern Greece, on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. Tens of thousands of dead fish are washing up as the water level has plummeted to less than a meter deep (three feet) and the lack of oxygen in the water is leading to mass mortality of everything in it. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
The Associated Press
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