How a Stunning Lagoon in Spain Turned Into ‘Green Soup’ - The New York Times

Tons of dead fish have washed ashore in recent years from the Mar Menor, a once-crystalline lagoon on the Mediterranean coast that has become choked with algae.

LA MANGA, Spain — The Mar Menor, a saltwater lagoon on the coast of southeastern Spain, was long renowned for its natural beauty, drawing tourists and retirees to its pristine warm shallows and the area’s gentle Mediterranean climate.

Tons of dead fish have washed ashore as the once-crystalline waters became choked with algae.

Hugo Morán, a senior official in the central government’s environment ministry, estimated that 80 percent of the water contamination resulted from the unchecked growth of agriculture.

When five tons of dead fish washed up in August near her house on the lagoon, she decided that she was ready to move.

Miriam Pérez, who is responsible for the Mar Menor in the regional government, said she believes political rivalries are keeping the central government from doing more.

She said the central government had done little to support her right-wing administration’s cleanup efforts — including removing about 7,000 metric tonnes of biomass — mostly decomposing seaweed — even after the region issued a decree in 2019 to protect the lagoon.

In August, when another wave of dead fish washed up, scientists noted that the water temperature had climbed significantly.

But the farmers around the Mar Menor have deflected the blame, saying that the contamination comes from water seeping into the lagoon from an aquifer in which toxic substances have accumulated over decades.

She said at least 75 percent of the lagoon’s water contamination came from runoffs.

The lagoon was proof that “one of the major problems of Europe is the contamination of its waters by nitrates,” he said.

“I remember finding it stunning as a child that I could see the sand at the bottom without even noticing the water because the Mar Menor was so transparent,” said Ms