Rome Debates Mystery of Dead Fish in Mighty Tiber

Reuters.com ^ | July 25, 2002 01:18 PM ET | Luke Baker

[Siobhan]

ROME (Reuters) - Experts are scratching their heads in concern and confusion over what has happened to Rome's Tiber river where tons of dead fish have floated to the surface and algae have spread like the plague.

Environmentalists say the phenomenon may have wiped out two-thirds of the fauna in a five-kilometer (three-mile) stretch of the river that runs through the heart of the city.

Tons of dead fish have floated to the surface since July 15, leaving a stench hanging over the city center. Even eels, the Tiber's hardiest denizens, have leapt onto the banks to escape the water.

"It's an apocalypse, I've never seen anything like it," said Carmen Di Penta, director of Marevivo, an environmental group that has monitored the Tiber for 12 years.

"We think some 60 to 70 percent of the fish may have died. It's going to take years to get it back to the way it was," she told Reuters.

Environmentalists, civic authorities and lawyers are divided over the cause of the problem, but agree it began two weeks ago when torrential rains lashed central Italy.

Magistrates in Rome, conducting an official investigation, say the rains caused a surge of water that flushed sewage, nitrates and other pollutants down the Tiber.

The sewage fed the algae, which sapped oxygen from the water, leaving the fish unable to breathe. "There's no evidence of any 'poisons', pesticides or other toxic substances," the magistrates said in a statement. "Nor did we find any traces of pathogens in the dead fish."

They said levels of pollution have already fallen. But city officials are not convinced. They suspect the problem lies in the Aniene, a badly polluted tributary of the Tiber, northeast of Rome.

"When we saw the number of dead fish, we thought it had to be caused by poison or some industrial accident," said a spokeswoman for the environmental office of Rome's city hall.

"The Aniene is filthy, not just with industrial pollutants but with people illegally dumping their waste." Green activists say the Tiber surges almost every year but never with such terrible consequences. The debate looks set to continue. City officials say the provincial government, which is responsible for the Aniene, should be brought to task.

Whatever the outcome, Marevivo says the pollution has contributed to the decline of one of history's great rivers.

"The Tiber helped feed and build the Roman Empire," said Di Penta. "But Romans these days don't recognize it for what it is. They need to start showing it some love."

[Siobhan]

I'm amazed by the number of "plague" stories that are filling news stories about the world and so far no one has connected any dots.

[Siobhan]

Ping - not religious per se... just the plague, dear.

[razorback-bert]

They need to go Petsmart and get some alage-out in the large industry size.

[APBaer]

"Luca Brasi sleeps with the fish."

[TomGuy]

There was a post on FR yesterday about squid washing up in southern Californial. A couple of months ago, a small lake (Arkansas) near me had a bunch of fish dead fish. They were tested but showed no toxins, etc. Maybe it is some strange phenomenon of Nature.

[Cachelot]

Large numbers of squid dead now off, I believe, California. Schools of sharks (one of around 500 on the coast of England) behaving strangely.

West Nile virus spreading on the American continent - last I heard was dead birds on the White House lawn. USUV breaking into Europe, seemingly a slight mutation from a virus that has never been seen outside of Africa and never before caused illness - now birds are falling down dead.

[ken5050]

Thanks for the post...can't tell you how much I enjoy the threads from the Catholic list....This befuddled Episcopalian finds comfort here, most every day..of course, if you're an Episcopalian in this country today..you're always scratching your head......and the new head guy the AofC..boy, what a beaut.....I'm considering starting another affity group here on FR...L.O.P.E. ...the List of Perplexed Episcopalians.......I'm often reminded of the grewat article Bill Buckley had in National review years back..thgink it was at the time of on of the Vatican confabs......"What, in the name of God, is going on in the Catholic Church?"..I'f often thought that may have beenthe best magazine cover, ever.......ah, well, tis the weekend....

[steveo]

Maybe it is some strange phenomenon of Nature.

Too much tin-foil flushed down the Loo!

[Consort]

The Pope and his entourage are in Canada. Nobody stayed behind to feed the fishes.

[Lessismore]

The fish rots from the head.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Tons of dead fish have floated to the surface since July 15, leaving a stench hanging over the city center. Even eels, the Tiber's hardiest denizens, have leapt onto the banks to escape the water.

[boris]

The sky is falling. We're all doomed.

[Polycarp]

just the plague, dear

Hmmmm... (note to self: don't order fish when visiting the Eternal City.)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

The Tiber has long been considered to be one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Nuff said.

[Cachelot]

The sky is falling. We're all doomed.

Only the dumb ones. The rest will do fine.

[ikka]

I don't know what is causing it, but it is all George Bush's fault for not signing the Kyoto treaty.

[John H K]

It's ironic we're constantly browbeaten by the Euroweenies over Kyoto and the environment and such and we're one of the few countries in the world that have actually cleaned up our environment; the Potomac went from a cesspool to a nice clean river with excellent fishing on the river on its entire course past Washington DC; the Hudson and East Rivers are now shockingly clean, and again have excellent fishing for Stripers, etc. (still a poor idea to eat due to PCBs in the Hudson.) I suspect you can't say the same for the Thames, Seine, Tiber, etc.

[choirboy]

Thousands of dead squid have shown up on San Diego beaches the last few days. It was reported at first that they probably followed the grunion on shore, were stranded, and then died. But now it's reported that they died while in the water and washed up on shore. The local water temperature has been in the 70s lately. None of the local ocean biologists (we have a lot of them here) have offered an opinion as to the cause of the squid dying.

[Siobhan]

I don't know what is causing it, but it is all George Bush's fault for not signing the Kyoto treaty.

< Gag ......sputter .........*cough* *cough*> A-hemm < / Gag >

[SunkenCiv]

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