Long-term discharge of untreated industrial wastewater from phosphate processing plants in Gabès, Tunisia, has caused ocean acidification levels in Gabès Bay to rise by 30%, with local sea areas seeing pH levels drop below 7.2. The latest monitoring in November 2025 revealed a 67% decline in the bay’s benthic biodiversity index compared to a decade ago. Coral coverage plummeted from 42% to 15%, while yields in traditional fishing grounds dropped sharply from 23,000 metric tons in 2015 to 8,000 metric tons.
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