The Mar Menor in southeastern Spain was once considered a natural and tourist paradise. Today, harmful nutrient enrichment deprives fish and other animals of their livelihood.
Madrid – Environmental disaster in Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon: In the Mar Menor (the “Little Sea”) in southeastern Spain, around 4.5 tons of dead fish and crabs were removed from the water within seven days, according to several media citing the government of the Murcia region reported.
Authorities and environmentalists attribute the mass deaths to a lack of oxygen, which is caused by the high temperatures and also by pollution.
The head of government of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, called on the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a letter to “immediately convene” a crisis meeting to take measures to save the inland water, which has been plagued by ecological problems for years. After several incidents in recent years, the Mar Menor must be declared a disaster area, said López Miras.
Former natural and tourist paradise
Almost two years ago, for example, around three tons of dead lagoon inhabitants – mainly small fish and crabs – were washed up. The Mar Menor was once considered a natural and tourist paradise – today you can usually only see a “green soup” that gives off a rotten stench.
This is due to so-called eutrophication – a harmful enrichment of nutrients in the water caused by human activities. This leads to a strong increase in algae and bacteria, which deprive other plant species, fish and other animals and small organisms of their livelihood. High temperatures accelerate eutrophication. A few days ago, a heat wave had brought Murcia temperatures in all of Spain well over 40 degrees.
The conservative regional government blames the weather and the left-wing central government, which gives too little support. Environmentalists, however, pillory the regional government. They do nothing against the intensive agriculture in the immediate vicinity of the lagoon, which is the main culprit for the problems. Especially when it rains heavily, fresh water and a lot of fertilizer-containing mud get into the lagoon. dpa
