Cagliari, the mussels of Santa Gilla killed by the record heat

"A disaster, we are ruined". These are dark days for the fishermen of Santa Gilla: the record heat of last month has practically annihilated the mussel farm in the lagoon. The water temperature has reached a level that has killed 90 percent of the mussels. The bitter discovery during the last reconnaissance carried out on Sunday among the desolately empty rows. The future is gray, buying new seed has very high costs, unthinkable for those who live off seafood. At this point, the timely intervention of the Region is vital, to which the fishermen are asking for help. Otherwise the only certainty is that in 2025 the delicious mussels of the lagoon will be just a memory.

Record heat

Valter Rizzardini is the president of one of the five cooperatives that deal with the farming of mussels, oysters and clams. An “army” of about 70 people who live off the products of Santa Gilla. “This year it was a massacre. The last heat wave in the last three weeks of August killed, suffocating them, 90 percent of the mussels in the lagoon”. The fishermen of Santa Gilla are used to the mussel mortality, but they have never reached the negative records of the summer now at its end. “These are situations that repeat themselves on a regular basis, with oscillations between 10 and 30 percent”. And to think that in the past months they had cried miracle because not even a single seed had been lost. “We thought we had survived the worst period, which usually occurs between June and July, unscathed”, says Rizzardini. Instead, the nasty surprise arrived. “In the last three weeks of August the record heat caused the waters of the lagoon to reach exceptional temperatures. The thermometer has constantly touched 30 degrees because of the hot African air that has taken over Sardinia. Really too much for the mussels. "They can tolerate a maximum of 27 degrees, for a maximum period that does not go beyond three days." The fishermen hoped for a miracle, which did not materialize. "Unfortunately the mistral, which would have cooled the water, was seen and the heat was a disaster."

The Blue Crab

The infamous blue crab has completed the damage, irreparably damaging the equipment, piercing and breaking nets, bertavelli and longlines with its claws. The largest ones can reach half a kilo and are quite aggressive. "They are fond of clams, which they have exterminated. The fishermen who were in charge of harvesting them have thrown in the towel," says Rizzardini. "Luckily they can't get into the equipment used for oysters, which has instead managed to withstand the high temperatures of the water, otherwise the disaster would have been total."

The damages

The calculation of losses reaches mind-boggling amounts. "The rows managed by the Santa Gilla cooperatives are 45, each of them is made up of 40 bays that, in optimal conditions, can produce about 250 kilos of mussels." The calculations are easy: the annual production of the lagoon can exceed 450,000 kilos. "Each member sells mussels to the consortium at 2 euros per kilo. The product is then purchased by wholesalers at 2.5 euros who then - concludes Rizzardini - sell it to retailers at 5 euros per kilo, including VAT."

Andrea Artizzu