A group of divers reported spotting hundreds of endangered seahorses in a polluted lagoon in western Greece and warned that if the area isn’t cleaned up, the species will be lost. In the area, we see hundreds of seahorses, and if they survive, we have a reason for hope, says diver Vasilis Mentogiannis, an expert in underwater surveys who is leading efforts to protect them. ‘I don’t think a similar situation exists anywhere else in Greece’.
Seahorses, a protected species threatened by overfishing and pollution, need an environment rich in organisms to feed on and plants to hide among. Aitoliko lagoon in the northern Patras Gulf used to contain thousands of seahorses; however, their numbers have plummeted in recent years, and divers were surprised when they discovered a group of the creatures. ‘It was the first time I had seen seahorses, and they were located in a place I least expected,’ said local diver Labros Charelos.
Several narrow channels connect the submerged island of Aitoliko with a lagoon open to the sea, which can reach depths of 30 metres. In recent years, leaks from damaged irrigation canals and factory wastes have reduced oxygen and polluted the lagoon, which on windy days emits a rotten-egg odor due to hydrogen sulfide produced by oxygen-depleted waters. ‘At the surface, it is viable, but it is at the deeper depths that it is problematic,’ explained University of Patras Professor George Katselis. Spyros Kariofyllis has been fishing in Aitoliko for decades and says he has reached a point when he no longer catches anything.
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‘When I throw my live bait in, when it reaches five and a half metres, it dies, and not only does it die, but there are no living organisms to eat it down there,’ he said. Through 21 million euros in EU funds, the government is advancing a long-awaited study to repair the damage, but Mentogiannis said time was running out for the seahorses. Currently, they have found an area with oxygen and food, far from fishing areas, but if hydrogen sulphide levels increase, it may be too late.
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