Dead fish in Pagasitikos: Four measures to support affected businesses

Measures to support the entrepreneurs of the municipalities of Volo and South Pelion who were adversely affected by the extreme phenomenon of dead fish in Pagasitikos Gulf were announced by the relevant ministries on Saturday, following a meeting.

This was preceded today (Saturday 31/8) by the cooperation of the Minister of State, Akis Skertzos, the Deputy Minister of Finance, responsible for fiscal policy, Thanos Petralias and the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, responsible for state aid, Christos Triantaopoulos.

In particular, measures are being launched in the next period to support businesses in a specific perimeter of beneficiaries in the sector and the region around the Pagasitikos Gulf, which are specified as follows:

Specifically, the following specific areas will be targeted to specific areas of activity.
1. Subsidy to enterprises with a loss in turnover due to the extreme phenomenon compared to the previous corresponding period.

2. Suspension of payment of tax and insurance obligations for enterprises in the perimeter in question for a specific period.

3. Activation of the Thessaly Pass support scheme next year with targeted features for the areas around the Pagasitikos, as well as an increase in the amount for the Thessaly Pass, which is already in progress for the current year.

4. Securing funding for the creation of an integrated program for the promotion of the Pagasitikos during the next period in a framework of cooperation between the competent Ministries and local stakeholders.

The launching of the above measures is progressing, taking into account the requests of local stakeholders and actors, as well as the meetings held with the affected entrepreneurs. The channels of cooperation and communication remain open with the bodies of Magnesia and the entrepreneurs of the region, the competent ministries (National Economy and Finance, Health, Environment and Energy, Labor and Social Security and Climate Crisis and Civil Protection) stress in a joint statement issued.

At the same time, following investigations and inspections carried out by competent teams of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, through the environmental inspectors who visited the area, and the Ministry of Health, through the EODY, the government makes the following update:

(1) The Ministry of Health, through the EODY, from the beginning of the phenomenon, made the Public Health laboratories available to the Region of Thessaly for the conduct of laboratory tests on bathing beaches. The recommendation of the EODY was in parallel with the laboratory checks to make a sanitary identification of the bathing beaches and if dead fish are found to be recommended to avoid swimming.

To date, samples have been taken from 9 bathing beaches in the Municipality of Volos and have been laboratory tested at the Regional Public Health Laboratory (PEDY) of the EODY in Thessaly. Fecal contamination microbial indicators (coliform and enterococcus) were found in all bathing beaches (except one that has a long-standing burden) within the limits of the legislation and consistent with a series of measurements of previous years including 2024.

In the samples tested, an increase in total microbial flora was detected with no specific pathogens associated with disease. Daily sampling is planned for the next few days on all beaches in cooperation with the District.

If there are no more dead fish and the shoreline continues to look good for indicators of fecal contamination, the District’s Health Division will be given the opportunity to recommend that swimming be allowed.

Based on the data to date on the etiology of the phenomenon, there is no question of a public health risk. The EODY will continue to provide support to the Region of Thessaly in every possible way, according to its competence.

(2) The Ministry of Environment and Energy sent a team of environmental inspectors for an autopsy in the area of Karla on Thursday 29/8, an autopsy which will continue next week in the wider area up to the Pinios River including the irrigation and drainage networks of the area, to investigate any responsibilities.

In addition, through a programmatic contract between the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the University of the Aegean (Department of Oceanography and Marine Biosciences), the evolution of the extent of the phenomenon in the wider area of the Pagasitikos is continuously monitored with high-resolution satellite images.

(3) The phenomenon is continuously monitored by the Management Unit of Protected Areas of Thessaly, which submitted a detailed report on Friday 30/8.

It should be noted that the destruction of dead fish must be carried out by the services that have collected them by the provisions of European Regulation 1069/2009 “on health rules for animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption” (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1069/2019-12-14) inappropriately licensed facilities that exist in the area. For the quantities of mixed dead fish with sand, seaweed, and garbage, the Ministry of Environment and Energy has put the Region in contact with a company that has offered to assist as needed by the Region.

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