'They will lie and wait': Algal blooms on South Australia coast could make people 'very sick', as marine life washes ashore along the state's coastline

Sky News AU

a day ago

Future algae blooms across South Australia could be harmful to humans an expert has warned, as the state continues to battle through a marine crisis.
South Australian beaches have been awash with foamy, discoloured water and dead marine life for months, a result of a microalgae called Karenia mikimotoi.
There are multiple types of dinoflagellate algae, including Karenia mikimotoi, researcher and conservationist Mike Bossley told Sky News, and some 'do effect mammals'.
'In California at the moment there is an algal bloom which is affecting mostly seals and sea lions,' he said.
'They are attacking people on beaches; it makes them very aggressive.
'It is killing other marine life like dolphins as well'.
The algae bloom off the California coast has been on the rise in recent years, producing a neurological toxin called domoic acid, which when ingested in large quantities attacks an animal's brain and heart, which can lead to seizures and heart failure.
In humans, direct exposure has been reported to cause gastrointestinal and neurological issues.
'I don't think it would actually kill someone, but it would certainly make them very sick,' Dr Bossley said.
A combination of calm warm conditions and excess nutrients has allowed the current algal bloom to grow across the South Australian coast, stretching along the Fleurieu Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, and reaching the metropolitan beaches in recent weeks.
If those conditions continue, Dr Bossley warned any type of microalgae may develop on the state's coast.
'What I have been able to discover is sea temperatures are about 2C warmer than usual,' he said.
'This time it was Karenia, next time it could be another.
'From time to time any of them just explodes in their numbers and out breeds anything else.'
The current algae impacting South Australia irritates fish gills and can lead to a lack of oxygen in the blood.
The phenomenon has led to marine life washing shore along the state coast, a sight that could continue for the next 12 months, experts warn.
Scientists were hoping that a drop in temperatures over winter would bring an end to the ecological disaster, but Environment Minister Susan Close wants to "prepare people" that the bloom is "not something that is likely to pass quickly".
She has explained in recent weeks that Karenia mikimotoi can drop to the seabed and survive if the conditions are no longer suited it.
"They will lie and wait, so, we should at least prepare ourselves for the likelihood that when the conditions return in the future, we will see other blooms," she said.
The Greens have announced they will establish an urgent inquiry into the marine crisis when parliament returns on July 22, following reports that the Federal Government has rejected calls for funding.