Earth Science News
WATER WORLD
'I lost my battle': warming sea killing Albania fishing
'I lost my battle': warming sea killing Albania fishing
By Briseida MEMA
Vlore, Albania (AFP) July 2, 2025

As dawn broke, fisherman Viktor Kocaj hauled his net on board his battered skiff, but after a whole night in the Adriatic, the catch was too small to even feed his family.

Albanians like him have lived off the sea for generations, but Kocaj fears his way of life in the Bay of Vlore is coming to an end, with warming waters shrinking his catch every year.

"I lost my battle with the sea. I loved it, but it betrayed me," the father of four told AFP.

As Europe bakes in the first heatwave of the summer, sea temperatures are climbing too.

By the end of June, the sea off the Albanian coast had already reached 25.5 degrees Celsius (77.9 degrees Fahrenheit) - 1.5 degrees higher than it was at this time last year.

"My luck deserted me a long time ago," Kocaj said, dejected by his meagre catch.

"Look at my almost empty nets," sighed the 65-year-old, as he prepared to return to port.

A few years ago, he was still able to provide for his family.

But now, he said, he's ruined.

"The rising temperatures have been a fatal blow to the fish, and to us too," he added, struggling to hide his tears.

- Fish have 'almost disappeared' -

In Vlore, Kocaj estimates fish populations have declined by 70 percent.

The situation is no better outside the inlet, where even larger fishing boats in deeper water are struggling, and forecasts are not optimistic.

Reshat Xhelilaj, head of the fishing and aquaculture sector in Vlore, told AFP that he expects a hotter summer than 2024, which saw a deep-sea temperature of up to 30.5C (86.9F).

Walking down the dock, dragging a small bucket half-filled with fish, Kocaj said that around five years ago he could have returned with up to 10 kilos (22 pounds) of hake per day.

Back then, he and his brother fished together. And even with much smaller nets, they brought home enough fish to support both their families.

Now he's alone, and despite casting a kilometre of net and spending hours at sea, he is lucky to come back with two kilos of anything.

"They've almost disappeared," he said of his once-abundant catch.

- 'Devastating' -

"Climate change is a major factor in the decline of fish populations," said Nexhip Hysolokaj, a biology researcher at Tirana's Polis University.

Rising temperatures make it difficult for many marine organisms to reproduce and grow, particularly those adapted for cooler waters.

At least a dozen species of fish, usually found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, are now crowding out local species that are essential to the food chain, such as the endangered sardine, he said.

In Kocaj's catch lies the proof, a highly venomous lionfish, which is common in the Caribbean.

"To his misfortune and mine, it ended up in my nets," the fisherman said.

The spiny fish is edible if cleaned and prepared correctly, and campaigns are underway to help fishermen turn this tropical invader into a profitable alternative.

"Climate change has had devastating effects," warned Captain Baci Dyrmishi, head of the marine fishing association in the bay.

"Temperatures are exceeding forecasts, and the waters are overheating."

Baci said that as the catch shrinks, the number of those living off the sea is dwindling too, and many are leaving the idyllic coastal city to make a living elsewhere.

On the quay at Radhima, once home to over a dozen vessels, only three or four now dock.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WATER WORLD
China to resume some Japanese seafood imports after Fukushima ban
Beijing (AFP) June 30, 2025
China has lifted a ban on seafood imports from most regions of Japan, partially mending a years-long dispute over Tokyo's handling of nuclear wastewater. China and Japan are key trading partners, but increased friction over territorial rivalries and military spending has frayed ties in recent years. Japan's brutal occupation of parts of China before and during World War II remains a sore point, with Beijing accusing Tokyo of failing to atone for its past. Japan began gradually releasing trea ... read more

WATER WORLD
Texas floods: Misinformation across political spectrum sows confusion

Search for woman who texted 'we're being washed away' in Texas flood

Pentagon to erect 4th military zone along U.S.-Mexico border

Rain caused natural disasters in 83% of Brazil's cities: report

WATER WORLD
Germany criticises China curbs on rare-earth exports

Meta's AI talent war raises questions about strategy

EU proposes space laws to reduce orbital junk and boost industry

EU's Space Act would track space objects and clear satellite debris

WATER WORLD
S.Leone islanders despair as rising ocean threatens survival

The Seine star of the summer again in Paris

'I lost my battle': warming sea killing Albania fishing

Deep-sea mining negotiators to meet under Trump shadow

WATER WORLD
Glacier retreat could drive a surge in volcanic eruptions worldwide

German navy to patrol the Arctic

Denmark develops tool to predict ice-free Arctic summers

In Norway's Arctic, meteorologists have a first-row seat to climate change

WATER WORLD
Rotten insects, viral videos and climate change: S.Korea battles 'lovebug' invasion

Drought-hit Morocco turns to desalination to save vegetable bounty

China's 'new farmers' learn to livestream in rural revitalisation

Beijing decries 'discriminatory' ban on Chinese purchases of US farmland

WATER WORLD
Typhoon Danas kills two, injures hundreds in Taiwan; Woman killed during storms across northern Italy

India monsoon season death toll hits 69 after floods, landslides

Rescuers on horseback, with dogs search for Texas flood victims

Storm Flossie strengthens into a hurricane near Mexico coast

WATER WORLD
Nigerian hikers blaze trails despite insecurity

Anxious residents re-emerge after Mali jihadist attacks

US sanctions on Sudan over alleged chemical weapons use take effect

Green bonds offer hope, and risk, in Africa's climate fight

WATER WORLD
Beyond male dominance in primates new study redefines gender power roles

Light travels through entire human head in breakthrough for optical brain imaging

Human brain reveals hidden action cues AI still fails to grasp

Deforestation in S.Leone national park threatens chimps, humans alike

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.