Endangered seahorses could be lost if polluted Greek lagoon is not cleaned up, experts warn
- Seahorses, a protected species threatened by overfishing and pollution, need an environment full of organisms to feed on and plant life to hide
- Helped by €21 million of EU funds, the Greek government is going ahead with a long-delayed study on repairing the damage
Divers have reported a rare sighting of hundreds of endangered seahorses in a polluted lagoon in western Greece and warn they could be lost if the area is not cleaned up.
“We see hundreds here and if they remain we have hope,” said diver Vasilis Mentogiannis, an expert in underwater surveys who has led efforts to protect the seahorses. “I don’t think there is a similar situation to this anywhere else in Greece.”
A protected species threatened by overfishing and pollution, seahorses need an environment full of organisms to feed on and plant life to hide.
Older fishermen say Aitoliko lagoon in the northern Patras Gulf used to contain thousands of seahorses but their numbers have fallen in recent years and local divers were amazed when they found a group of the creatures.
“It was the first time I had spotted seahorses and they were in a place I least expected,” said local diver Labros Charelos.
Aitoliko, which reaches depths of up to 30 metres, is linked by narrow channels to a shallow lagoon open to the sea. Over recent years leaks from damaged irrigation canals as well as factory waste and fertilisers have cut off oxygen and polluted the lagoon, which on windy days gives off a “rotten egg” smell from hydrogen sulphide produced by its oxygen-depleted waters.