Latest news with #NathanEatts
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fisherman's sad admission highlights growing Aussie problem
An Aussie angler has made a difficult admission: he hasn't caught a single squid since April. Nathan Eatts, a sixth-generation commercial fisherman, is increasingly worried he'll be the last in his family to carry on the trade, because a toxic algal bloom is killing all the fish in waters around Adelaide. 'Fishing is all I've ever done, since I could walk. My dad was a commercial fisherman and he used to take me out as a kid. My grandpa and uncle did the same. It's in our blood,' the 32-year-old told Yahoo News. A perfect storm has killed sharks, rays and other marine life across the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula where he's traditionally fished, and the squid have disappeared. The outbreak is being caused by naturally occurring Karenia mikimotoi algae mixed with higher than average nutrients in the sea, increased ocean temperatures, and calm weather. It had been hoped that cooler weather during winter would break up the bloom, but instead it's continued to spread. The problem is occurring right across the Fleurieu and Yorke Peninsulas, Kangaroo Island, and this week it's been detected on metropolitan beaches and West Lakes in Adelaide's north. Nathan is in a similar situation to farmers during the Millenium Drought which crippled agriculture across large parts of NSW and Queensland last decade. He's just trying to keep busy and carry on the only trade he knows. 'There are some species we can target like whiting, but we'll only get a dozen or so, which is not enough to make a living off,' he said. 'When it's a nice day and it's calm I go fishing. If we do catch a few that's good, and if we don't it's just like every other day. Worst case, I've got just enough for my own dinner.' What Nathan wants now is to be part of the solution. He wants to know if all of the squid have died, or if they've migrated elsewhere. "It's like a massive bushfire but it's under the ocean and we can't see the full scale of it," he said. He's not the only one wanting to help. Fisherman are normally secretive about their catch, but now they're sharing intelligence with each other out of care for the industry. Shark's worrying behaviour near Aussie coastline signals 'never seen' crisis Fisherman shocked by 'unfathomable' scene at Aussie beaches Investigation launched after rarely-seen shark washes up on Aussie beach As the situation continues, there are growing calls for it to be declared a national disaster. Part of the reason is that bills are stacking up, and that's an issue Nathan is experiencing as well. 'We have very high costs in our industry. I personally just got a $13,000 yearly bill from fisheries, but if I can't catch any fish how am I supposed to pay it?' he said. 'It's quite stressful, I've got a mortgage too.' But the bigger issue for him is the environmental toll it's taking on the ocean he loves. 'A healthy marine ecosystem means a healthy, viable business. Sustainability is one of my key values, and it's why my family has been able to fish for six generations,' Nathan said. 'We don't use nets, everything we do is line caught. We're all about promoting longevity.' Prior to the algal bloom, Nathan would catch between 20 and 30kg of squid on an average day. But after a four-day storm over Easter, the oceans died. The last squid he caught was on Good Friday. 'All of a sudden we couldn't catch a single thing. The water was all green. It was clear something was wrong,' he said. Being a smart businessman, Nathan had prepared for a rainy day, and had a freezer full of filleted reserve stocks. But after months without a catch, he's close to running out of supply. 'There's no way of replenishing it. I'm not worried about right now, it's where we're going to be in three or four months time,' he said. 'That's when it's going to hit home for a lot of people. When bad things happen it's always down the track a little bit when the real pain starts.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
ABC News
3 days ago
- 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?"
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fisherman's sad admission amid calls to declare natural disaster off Aussie coast
An Aussie angler has made a difficult admission: he hasn't caught a single squid since April. Nathan Eatts, a sixth-generation commercial fisherman, is increasingly worried he'll be the last in his family to carry on the trade, because a toxic algal bloom is killing all the fish in waters around Adelaide. 'Fishing is all I've ever done, since I could walk. My dad was a commercial fisherman and he used to take me out as a kid. My grandpa and uncle did the same. It's in our blood,' the 32-year-old told Yahoo News. A perfect storm has killed sharks, rays and other marine life across the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula where he's traditionally fished, and the squid have disappeared. The outbreak is being caused by naturally occurring Karenia mikimotoi algae mixed with higher than average nutrients in the sea, increased ocean temperatures, and calm weather. It had been hoped that cooler weather during winter would break up the bloom, but instead it's continued to spread. The problem is occurring right across the Fleurieu and Yorke Peninsulas, Kangaroo Island, and this week it's been detected on metropolitan beaches and West Lakes in Adelaide's north. Nathan is in a similar situation to farmers during the Millenium Drought which crippled agriculture across large parts of NSW and Queensland last decade. He's just trying to keep busy and carry on the only trade he knows. 'There are some species we can target like whiting, but we'll only get a dozen or so, which is not enough to make a living off,' he said. 'When it's a nice day and it's calm I go fishing. If we do catch a few that's good, and if we don't it's just like every other day. Worst case, I've got just enough for my own dinner.' What Nathan wants now is to be part of the solution. He wants to know if all of the squid have died, or if they've migrated elsewhere. "It's like a massive bushfire but it's under the ocean and we can't see the full scale of it," he said. He's not the only one wanting to help. Fisherman are normally secretive about their catch, but now they're sharing intelligence with each other out of care for the industry. Shark's worrying behaviour near Aussie coastline signals 'never seen' crisis Fisherman shocked by 'unfathomable' scene at Aussie beaches Investigation launched after rarely-seen shark washes up on Aussie beach As the situation continues, there are growing calls for it to be declared a natural disaster. Part of the reason is that bills are stacking up, and that's an issue Nathan is experiencing as well. 'We have very high costs in our industry. I personally just got a $13,000 yearly bill from fisheries, but if I can't catch any fish how am I supposed to pay it?' he said. 'It's quite stressful, I've got a mortgage too.' But the bigger issue for him is the environmental toll it's taking on the ocean he loves. 'A healthy marine ecosystem means a healthy, viable business. Sustainability is one of my key values, and it's why my family has been able to fish for six generations,' Nathan said. 'We don't use nets, everything we do is line caught. We're all about promoting longevity.' Prior to the algal bloom, Nathan would catch between 20 and 30kg of squid on an average day. But after a four-day storm over Easter, the oceans died. The last squid he caught was on Good Friday. 'All of a sudden we couldn't catch a single thing. The water was all green. It was clear something was wrong,' he said. Being a smart businessman, Nathan had prepared for a rainy day, and had a freezer full of filleted reserve stocks. But after months without a catch, he's close to running out of supply. 'There's no way of replenishing it. I'm not worried about right now, it's where we're going to be in three or four months time,' he said. 'That's when it's going to hit home for a lot of people. When bad things happen it's always down the track a little bit when the real pain starts.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
