Danilo: the Fisherman of Cabras
“In the old times fishing began in September, now we start in March. Everything has been intensively exploited for decades, and we are now paying the consequences. The rain is irregular, the reeds die and some species become extinct because of the exceeding salinity of the water”, explains Danilo, a fisherman in Oristano.
“We do our best. We respect the fish while it grows, we take care of the lagoon, it’s our home, but it is a bigger problem than us, and despite the subsidies we barely
survive.”
As climate change lessens rainfall, fresh water supplies collected in watersheds and fed into Coastal Wetlands are dropping. Which in turn affects salinity of brackish ecosystems. Increased salt levels in the lagoon of Oristano on the Sardinian coast have not only already led to the disappearance of some species of fish, it is also leading to a proliferation of the invasive Australian tubeworm with dramatic consequences.