Latest news with #KareniaMikimotoi
The Herald
a day ago
- Climate
- The Herald
Toxic algal bloom off South Australia devastates marine life, tourism
The toxic bloom has been caused by overgrowth of the Karenia mikimotoi algal species, which affects fish gills and sucks oxygen out of the water as it decomposes, the state's environment department said. Contributing to its growth was a marine heatwave that started in 2024, when sea temperatures were about 2.5°C warmer than usual. The bloom has affected tourism and forced oyster and mussel farms to temporarily shut due to a waterborne toxin caused by the algae, local media said. More than 13,850 dead animals, including sharks, rays and invertebrates, have been recorded by the public on the iNaturalist app. Federal environment minister Murray Watt said on Monday the algal bloom was a 'serious environmental event', but stopped short of declaring it a national disaster, which would allow greater federal support. Reuters
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Fishing sector to have fees waived amid algal bloom 'uncertainty', which has now spread to Port River
South Australian commercial fishers can apply to have licence and other government fees waived if their catches have been impacted by the state's toxic algal bloom, which has now spread to the Port River. Fishers have been calling on the state government for financial relief amid the ongoing Karenia mikimotoi outbreak, which Environment Minister Susan Close estimates has led to "tens of thousands, if not more, individual animals" washing up dead on the state's beaches. Following talks with the commercial fishing industry, the state government today said affected fishers could apply for certain licence and audit fees to be waived from April to June as part of an initial $500,000 relief package. That announcement coincided with the revelation that the most recent monitoring had detected the algae in the Port River. "The latest results of that monitoring are that indeed, as expected, Karenia mikimotoi has appeared in the Port River and is at reasonably high concentrations around Garden Island and Outer Harbor," Ms Close said. She said while the concentration there was "nothing near like" what was detected at the beginning of the bloom "when we had a massive form of algae that was around the size of Kangaroo Island", it was important that the algae's spread remained under observation. "The testing that is occurring from Port Noarlunga all the way up to Outer Harbor is going to be really useful for us to track not only where it is but its concentration," she said. In a statement, the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA said dolphins in the sanctuary were "not believed to be at immediate risk" and the department would continue to monitor water quality. The government said the bloom was having a "devastating" impact on parts of the commercial fishing sector, and acknowledged catches had declined in Gulf St Vincent, and around Kangaroo Island and Yorke Peninsula. It said commercial fishers could be eligible to have fees — including PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture annual licence fees, and Biosecurity SA Food Safety Scheme and audit fees — waived. "The fishing sector is really reeling because of the uncertainty," Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said. "We can provide up to $500,000 in fee relief for affected commercial fishers — so this means that those who haven't been able to fish or who have been out fishing incurring costs but not catching anything will be able to have their fees waived. "That will happen in retrospect for the last quarter, so they can either take that as a credit going forward or they can take that as a refund which may well help with cashflow, which is so important to a lot of small businesses." Ms Scriven urged licence holders to work with their industry associations to apply for the fee relief. "What we'll need to see is that there's been a drop in their fishing. We have catch figures from previous years and then their catch records from this year, so that will be one of the items that will feed into that," she said. "Fees are a significant part of their operating costs — there are of course more, some of which are within government but most of which are not. We'll continue to work with them to look at what is the most appropriate type of assistance." Ms Scriven said that both she and Ms Close were "keen that this [algal bloom] has national recognition". Yesterday, the Greens called on the federal government to declare the algal outbreak a national disaster. Ms Close today said she had this morning spoken to federal Environment Minister Murray Watt about that very issue, and about securing support. "What I've been talking to the Minister about at the Commonwealth level is that we will ask for some assistance with the recovery stage," Ms Close said. "There's a question about the extent to which it's possible to declare it a national disaster on the basis of the definitions that they use. "We're in conversation with them at the bureaucratic level just about whether that needs to be adjusted, recognising that an algal bloom has not previously had such an impact before, whether it's time to update that list." The South Australian Professional Fishers Association welcomed the waiving of fees, but also indicated that the need for support was likely to grow with the passage of time. "We haven't seen the worst of this disaster yet," chairperson Ben Barnes said. "[For] the fishers in this time of need, it'll be much appreciated and we hope to move forward and keep this rolling, because the devastation to the commercial sector is absolutely unreal.
ABC News
07-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Calls for South Australia's algal bloom to be declared national disaster, as 'algal war' erupts
An ecologist says an "algal war" that has broken out along South Australia's south coast could be a sign that the tide is slowly turning against the state's toxic bloom, which the Greens want treated as a national disaster. Fishers have reported seeing what is believed to be a bioluminescent algae that is known to eat the Karenia mikimotoi algae species responsible for the mass fish kills over the past four months. The Greens have called on the federal government to declare the bloom a national disaster because of its impact on coastal communities and businesses. "The last calamari I caught was on Good Friday … and it's been a long time since," Fleurieu Peninsula squid fisherman Nathan Eatts told ABC Radio Adelaide. But Mr Eatts is hopeful nature itself can be part of the solution, especially in light of what he saw while fishing on Sunday morning. He said he was out on the water when he noticed it had changed colour. "I followed it around for a bit. It was about a kilometre-and-a-half long by 30 metres wide. "Early reports coming back off that, is that it's a 'sea sparkle' — a bioluminescent algae of sorts. "Apparently that might potentially be eating the Karenia, the bad stuff." Mr Eatts said he contacted authorities and carefully collected samples for citizen scientists. Estuarine ecologist Faith Coleman said she had examined images of the samples and identified them as containing Noctiluca scintillans — the algae which causes "sea sparkle". "We're starting to get sea sparkle blooms which are those algae that cause the phosphorescent blue waves at certain times of year," she said. "What they do is they go round, they eat other bacteria and algae, and in this case it looks like they're probably eating Karenia mikimotoi. "The sea sparkle … cleans up already dying blooms and it cleans them down to a point that they don't re-bloom again if they get the opportunity to. "We're nowhere near that yet." While Ms Coleman said it was "definitely way too early to say" the sea sparkle would spell the end of the toxic bloom, it was still a promising sign. "Nature is assembling her soldiers on the ground and the sea sparkle is a major part of that. "That's what it's trying to do — whether it succeeds of course is a different matter entirely." South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the party, at both the state and federal level, is calling for inquiries into the 'environmental catastrophe'. Senator Hanson-Young said she had written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seeking an urgent national response. "We've urged the prime minister to declare this event a national disaster along the lines of what happens for floods and fires," Senator Hanson-Young said. "Our communities are hurting, our industries are suffering and so far, the only government response is to get used to it." Greens MLC Robert Simms said he m would move to launch a state-based enquiry into the bloom when parliament returns in late August. "That's so that we can bring in the state government departments and scrutinise their approach to this crisis," Mr Simms said. The prime minister's office has been contacted for a response. Diver Mark Tozer has been visiting the shipwreck of The Claris, a popular scuba site around eight kilometres off Glenelg Beach, for the past 30 years. He said the site was normally teeming with marine life and coral and was devastated when he visited the site last week. "On the way down it was green and was full of algae just floating through the water column and by the time you got to the bottom you could hardly see your hand, it was nasty," he said. "Littered all over the floor were dead sea cucumbers, there was clams and molluscs just open, dead, gone … it was a death zone." Mr Tozer said he was surprised to see the far-reaching extent of the bloom and felt concern for the future of the diving industry and local bait and tackle shops. "The government needs to step in and understand these poor people who own a business … this is out of their hands," he said. "Who would want to buy a boat in South Australia now?"
ABC News
01-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
South Australia's toxic algal bloom detected at West Lakes, Port River to be tested
The state government says preliminary samples show the toxic algal bloom that has been impacting parts of the South Australian coast has now been detected in West Lakes. The toxic bloom has caused fish kills on the Fleurieu and Yorke peninsulas, Kangaroo Island and has recently also hit Adelaide's metropolitan beaches. Dead fish and sea animals have been spotted on the shore from Sellicks Beach to North Haven, raising concerns for both local residents and authorities. The Department for Environment and Water is now testing water from West Lakes and the Port River for the algae. In a statement, the department said it had confirmed the presence of Karenia mikimotoi, the species of algae first detected on the Fleurieu Peninsula in March, in low levels in West Lakes. The Port River is home to the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, which is regularly monitored by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The bloom has also been detected along the Spencer Gulf, Kangaroo Island, Troubridge Point on Yorke Peninsula, the Coorong's North Lagoon and along the coastline from Victor Harbor to Robe. The department said it was also testing a dolphin carcass that was collected from Tennyson Beach on Monday. It is also looking at a great white shark carcass from Port Broughton to determine if the bloom contributed to its death. The bloom's impact has hit metropolitan Adelaide beaches, with locals capturing images of dead sharks and sea lions. Scientists were hoping a drop in temperatures over winter would bring an end to the ecological disaster, which appeared after a range of environmental impacts hit the region, including water from the 2022/23 River Murray floods flowing into the Southern Ocean, followed by unseasonably cold and warm water. But on Monday, Environment Minister Susan Close said she wanted to "prepare people" that the bloom was "not something that is likely to pass quickly" and "likely also to return at some point". "We've seen the large mass of algae — the depth of some 20-metres and the size of Kangaroo Island — break up significantly," she said on Monday. "But what's happened, is a lot of it has just been moved around into other parts of South Australian waters, including the metropolitan coast. "This is of concern … because we're continuing to see marine life washing up dead on our coastline." The government said the bloom was unlikely to dissipate quickly because an "ongoing marine heatwave" was continuing off SA's south coast. Further complicating matters, Dr Close said, was that the species responsible for the bloom can drop to the seabed and survive if the conditions no longer suited it. The department said the bloom occurred naturally and nothing could be done to dilute or dissipate it. The bloom is considered non-toxic to humans, but can cause skin, eye and lung irritation.
Asharq Al-Awsat
15-05-2025
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Toxic Algae Killing Marine Life Off Australian Coast
A vast bloom of toxic algae is killing more than 200 species of marine life off the southern coast of Australia, scientists and conservation groups say. The algae -- Karenia mikimotoi -- appeared in waters around South Australia state in March, causing mass deaths in species including sharks, rays, crabs and octopuses. "There are carcasses littering beaches," said Brad Martin, a manager of the non-profit fish conservation group Ozfish. "It is common for our volunteers to say: 'We walked for one kilometer along the beach and saw 100 dead rays and other marine life'," he told AFP. Beaches on wildlife-rich tourist draws such as Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula and Fleurieu Peninsula have been affected. The bloom stretches across 4,400 square kilometers (1,700 square miles), Martin said -- an area larger than Japan or Germany. Karenia mikimotoi has been detected around the world since the 1930s, including off Japan, Norway, the United States and China where it has disrupted local tourism and fishery industries, causing millions of dollars worth of damage. But Martin said South Australia had not previously experienced a toxic algae bloom of this scale or duration. The South Australian government said the event is thought to have been driven by a marine heatwave, as well as relatively calm marine conditions. Marine biologist Shauna Murray, who identified the algae species for the authorities, said it damages the gills of fish and prevents them from breathing. "It is not pleasant," said Murray, from the University of Technology Sydney. "It will probably take some time for the ecosystem to recuperate." While conditions usually ease towards the end of April, there had been no relief yet, South Australian Environment Minister Susan Close said this month. "We need a big change in weather to break this thing up -- there is nothing we can do to precipitate this," she told national broadcaster ABC. In the meantime, South Australian authorities have urged beachgoers to avoid swimming in water that is discolored or foamy, warning that it can irritate the skin and affect breathing. Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and duration of marine heatwaves across Australia, which significantly affects marine ecosystems.
