Bacoli – The waters of the Phlegraean coast are once again a source of controversy. In recent days, the Baia Coast Guard was alerted to the presence of a fish kill in the sea, just meters from the shore, right in front of one of the most popular beaches for swimmers at the end of August.
The report was made by several residents who, noticing dozens of lifeless fish floating on the surface, called for the authorities to intervene. A Coast Guard patrol boat arrived on the scene, immediately carrying out initial investigations and reassuring swimmers, urging them not to raise alarm while awaiting official investigations.
Shortly thereafter, technicians from ARPAC (Campania's Regional Agency for Environmental Protection) arrived and took samples of the water to determine the nature of the phenomenon.
Laboratory tests, expected in the coming days, will clarify whether this is a natural event—as can happen with sudden temperature changes or a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the sea—or whether the cause is pollution caused by illegal dumping or malfunctions in the sewer system.
It's not the first episode
The case reported in Baia is not an isolated one. In recent years, similar incidents have occurred several times between the Gulf of Pozzuoli and the Phlegraean Fields coast, involving fish kills and sudden changes in the water color. These situations have generated concern among residents and controversy among environmental groups, which have long denounced structural issues in wastewater treatment plants and the persistent uncontrolled discharges into the sea.
Similar reports had already been recorded last year, again during the summer, in Lucrino and Miseno, resulting in interventions by ARPAC and the Port Authority.
Between tourism and environmental protection
The phenomenon is particularly alarming because it occurs in an area with a strong tourist and archaeological vocation, where the sea represents an economic resource and identity. The Campi Flegrei area, in fact, is a historic and natural heritage site, visited every year by thousands of tourists and swimmers.
Precisely for this reason, residents and operators are calling for greater controls and a constant monitoring plan, capable of preventing incidents that risk compromising not only the health of the sea but also the image of an area that thrives on tourism.
Meanwhile, authorities have assured that the investigations will continue in the coming days, with further sampling and inspections, while they await the results of the ARPAC analyses to understand the real causes of the fish deaths in Baia.
It's worrying that fish are dying in the sea off Bacoli. I hope the authorities will carry out more frequent checks and resolve the pollution problem. The health of the sea is essential for tourism.