Po delta mussel and clam die-off as water too hot

The Po Delta's prized mussels and

clams are dying off as the water at the mouth of Italy's longest

river has become too hot due to a succession of heat waves in

the country driven by climate change.

The 32-degree lagoon water is killing the mollusks of the Po

Delta.

In the Sacca di Goro (Ferrara), up to 90% of the clams have

disappeared, while in Scardovari, on the Rovigo side, a sudden

death of 1,000 quintals of PDO mussels has been recorded.

The alarm had been raised by Confcooperative agri-food and

fishing, reported in the Nuova Ferrara newspaper.

The rising water temperature is reducing the oxygen

concentration and favoring the proliferation of algae, with a

bloom that hasn't been seen on this scale for 10-15 years, and

operators are being forced to remove it to continue working.

The extreme heat is exacerbating a situation already compromised

by the invasion of the blue crab, from which the clam industry

was still trying to recover.

And the crab-proof fences installed in the lagoons during

heatwaves further limit water exchange, transforming the Sacca

di Goro into a kind of "gigantic cooking pot."

Experts and trade associations estimate a 70% to 100% loss of

product, especially in Goro; according to Confcooperative,

climate change causes direct damage to Italian professional

fisheries amounting to approximately €200 million per year, with

shellfish farming among the most affected sectors.

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