Hundreds of dead fish washed up in the river Tiber in Rome on Thursday. Those out for early morning exercise saw them at different points along the river.
The dead fish were found in greater numbers close to the Ponte della Musica, Ponte Sant’Angelo and Ponte Sisto.
The fish carcasses will be analysed by the veterinary service of the ASL and the ARPA Lazio, as well as the Port Authority of Rome. In addition to the presence of carcasses of freshwater fish in the dock of Fiumicino, some specimens also beached on the coast of Ostia. Excluding any causes of marine pollution, autopsy examinations will establish the causes of the death.
Ecoitaliasolidale: “To ascertain the degree of toxicity of the Roman coast”
Piergiorgio Benvenuti and Giuliana Salce, respectively president and Lazio representative of the ecological movement Ecoitaliasolidale who carried out an inspection at the mouth of the Tiber.
“Several times over time there have been fish deaths both along the Tiber and in the Roman coasts, and the doubts and hypotheses are always the same: caused by rains that through canals and rivers reaches directly to the sea, together with lifeless fish, or spills of pesticides and pollutants.”
The organisation, also stated, “The fact is an immediate assessment of responsibilities is necessary to understand exactly the dynamics of the episode, block pollution phenomena and ascertain the degree of toxicity that is affecting the Roman coast; to defend the environmental balance, the safety of citizens, tourists and economic activities such as tourism and fishing. The lifeless fish floating came from the Tiber to the sea for the whole day today as we have been able to directly verify.”
